It's Never Easy, Sweetheart
by Malabrigo
Summary: Molly Grimes is on the fast track to becoming the hottest new WWE Diva, but will  the jealous girlfriend of a WWE Superstar do everything in her power to stop Molly's rise to the top?
1. Chapter 1

"Are you serious? You want to tap out to the sharpshooter?" Nattie stood in front of her opponent in disbelief.

"Yes," Molly responded emphatically. This dark match against Nattie Niedhart would be the biggest match of her career. Molly had been recruited out of Lance Storm's wrestling school in Calgary and asked to participate in the dark match.. Molly had only been wrestling for a little over a year, but she had the look that John Laurinaitis loved. She was slender and tall with long brown hair. Her athleticism could best be described as fit, but she was also agile. Molly Grimes was made for this business. "People love the sharpshooter, Nattie, but whatever you're most comfortable with is fine by me." Molly knew she had to be careful not to step on anyone's toes. She followed the golden rules of backstage conduct. She shook everyones hand and introduced herself. It was a time honored tradition and it showed respect to the legends and superstars that she would be sharing the arena with later that night.

"Sharpshooter it is," Nattie replied with a smile. "We should run through it once. I think we have everything else worked out."

"I really appreciate you taking the time to go through this all with me. You were a very big reason as to why I went to wrestling school in the first place." Molly said.

"Ladies? Are ye almost done in there? Some of us need to run the ropes a little," Stephen Farrelly, better known to the WWE Universe as Sheamus, climbed up to the ring apron.

"Just a second. We need to run past one last thing." Nattie turned to Molly. "Unless you feel ready?"

"We can wait." Stuart Bennett, or Wade Barrett as he would be known to the crowd, joined Stephen up on the ring apron.

Their presence caused Molly to become anxious even though all she needed to do was lay down and wait for Nattie to apply her submission move. "Let's run through it then," Molly said shrugging. She lay down on the mat in the center of the ring. Nattie stood above her and slowly twisted Molly's legs before flipping her on her stomach.

"Sell it!" Stu yelled from the sidelines.

It was easy for Molly to sell it because the amount of pain she was in was excruciating. After Nattie bent her frame back a little further, Molly gave in and tapped out. Nattie released her grip and Molly rolled on to her back, staring up at the arena lights. "That wasn't so bad," Molly lied through her teeth. It would take a minute for her spine to reset before she could get up. Luckily, Nattie helped her to her feet.

"I won't be doing that at match time," Nattie joked.

"Well done," Stu praised. Molly made her way over to the apron where Stu and Stephen were standing. She extended her hand out to Stu. "Hi, I'm Molly Grimes." She extended her hand to Stephen in the same sentence.

"It's nice to meet you Molly, I'm Stuart Bennett." He shook her hand firmly.

"And I'm Stephen Farrelly. Is this your try out dark match tonight?" Stephen hopped over the ropes.

"Yes, it is. I'm much less nervous than I expected I'd be," she said shrugging.

"You'll be fine. You just need to be able to handle getting a beating. That's what dark matches are," Stu offered. "You'll do great tonight."

"Thank you," Molly smiled. That's nice of you to say. I'll let you gentlemen get to work. Thank you for giving us a few extra moments."

"Anytime, Molly," Stu smiled.

* * *

><p>Molly sat backstage in the corner of the changing area with the other WWE Divas. Compared to the other girls, her ring gear was not as glamorous and far more worn. She laced up her scruffed up black boots and pulled her yoga pants down over them. Her red gingham sports bra style tank top clung to her figures. This had always been her ring attire. She was self conscious about her legs, but completely proud of her abs.<p>

"Go get 'em out there, Molly," Beth Kocianski encouraged. All of the Diva's Molly encountered had been encouraging.

Molly smiled. "Thank you, guys. It means so much to have your support."

"It's just nice to have someone coming from a wrestling background," Beth responded. "I bet you can bring a lot to the division."

Molly smiled. "Thanks again. I should probably head off to gorilla." Molly made her way from the locker room through the twists and turns of the backstage area. She was worried about getting lost on the way, but she just watched the flow of traffic and eventually made her way to where the pre-tape promos were being done.

"Molly? There you are!" A producer she had yet to meet grabbed her by the arm and quickly led her to gorilla just as Natalya's music kicked in and the chant of "boos" started. "We didn't know where you had run off to."

"I'm sorry. I got lost," Molly replied apologetically.

"Wait here. When your music kicks in, you can head out," he said.

While most WWE Superstars had music exclusive to them, Molly was allowed to use her own since the match would not be televised. The beginning beats to Nicki Minaj's "Superbass" filled the arena and Molly went busting through gorilla right as the lyrics kicked in, skipping her way down to the ring. Natalya waited in the ring, an impatient and annoyed look on her face. As soon as Molly entered the ring, the bell rang and Natalya went after her, eager to prove a point. The first five minutes of the match were a pretty steady back and forth. At one point, Molly had Natalya flat on her back so she went for the moonsault. At the last second, Natalya moved out of the way, leaving Molly to roll around on the canvas clutching her ribs. Natalya then grabbed Molly's legs and put her in to the sharpshooter. Molly fought every step of the way, but Natalya proved to be too strong. Molly vigorously shook her head when the ref asked her if she would give in. Natalya leaned back further in to her submission hold causing Molly to tap. Natalya dropped her legs and rolled Molly over on to her back. She stepped on Molly's stomach as she thrust her hands in to the air in a victorious celebration. Molly rolled out of the ring where she was greeted by the ref who would walk her backstage.

Nattie met her backstage. "Great job out there! That was awesome. The crowd was in to it!"

Molly was out of breath. The struggle to get out of the sharpshooter and the rush of adrenaline from the crowd, sent her endorphins in to a tailspin.

The same producer that was looking everywhere for her earlier came frantically running up to her. "Molly, Mr. Levesque and Mr. Laurinaitis would like to speak with you."

"Now?" Molly whispered through breaths.

"Yes, right now."

* * *

><p><strong>Please let me know what you think! I love the honest feedback that I get from you all. I hope you enjoy this story!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Molly sat in a makeshift backstage office across from Vincent Kennedy McMahon, Paul Levesque, and John Laurinaitis. Never before had she felt so nervous. The three men sitting in front of her would be the ones deciding her future. Wrestling was what she wanted to do. She spent countless of hours honing her craft. Molly sat up straight, her hands folded delicately in her lap; making sure to make eye contact with each person as they spoke to her and outlined the details of her developmental contract.

"Now, Molly, there are a few things that you need to know before you sign on the dotted line," Paul began. "You'll have to relocate to Tampa for training at FCW for a few months before you get called up to the main roster. You'll also be given a new name, but we're open to suggestions if you have any. Do you?"

Molly remained composed on the outside, but inside she was screaming with joy. "I'm sorry?"

"He asked if you have any preferences for your stage name," Mr. Laurinaitis reiterated.

"'Grace' was my grandmothers name..."

"I like Avery. Let's compromise. You'll be Avery Grace," Mr. McMahon kicked in. Everyone nodded in agreement. Mr. McMahon stood up. "Great. So, Avery Grace, we look forward to you reporting next week to FCW." Mr. McMahon was always eager to get these business meetings over with and move on to the next task.

Everyone else stood up together to signal the end of the meeting. Molly walked towards the line of her new bosses and shook their hands, thanking them for the opportunity. She left the office having signed her developmental deal. Retreating to a quiet area backstage of the arena, her eyes filled up with tears. Everything she had worked so hard for over the last few years was finally starting to pay off. She was afraid of people overhearing her conversation, so she shot a quick text message off to her dad to let him know. She'd miss him most of all. Tampa was not around the corner from Calgary. Molly rounded the corner to head back to the locker room to pack her things, but physically bumped in to Stuart Bennett. He looked annoyed at the encounter.

"Oh shit...I'm so sorry," she said as stepped to the side and walked around him.

"It's quite okay," he responded, his exterior softening at the realization it was Molly. He looked at her closely. "Were you crying?"

Molly gritted her teeth. This was not the reputation that was hoping to build on her first day. She tried to spin it into a positive. "Yeah, uh, I just signed a developmental deal." Her face lit up at saying those words. "It feels good to say that out loud," she gushed.

"Well, congratulations," Stu said sincerely.

"Thank you. I have a lot to think about...moving to Tampa, training...oh my God," she said. Her excitement for the business was growing with each new thought.

"You'll love Tampa," Stu said. He pressed a hand against the wall and grabbed his ankle with the other, stretching out his calf.

"When is your match?" Molly asked, taking the focus off of her.

"In a few moments. I usually retreat away from everyone to prepare for my matches." He switched legs.

"I'm sorry," Molly stumbled. "I'll let you get back to business."

"It's alright," he said. "Look, Molly, if you need a place to stay for a few days while you're looking for a more permanent place, let me know."

Molly was taken aback by the Englishman's offer. People in the wrestling business often looked out for one another. In fact, she had provided room and board for many traveling wrestlers during her stint in the independents. "Really? You mean that?"

"Sure. I'm on the road a lot. Would be nice to have someone around to watch after the place. Getting settled can be tough. Also, it's important for every new person to have a mentor of sorts. I had someone looking out for me when I was signed, you should have someone looking out for you."

"I will definitely keep that in mind," she said.

"Great. You've got your phone there. Let me give you my number," he said. This was all so strange. If it was true that people in the wrestling looked after each other then Stuart Bennett was going above and beyond. She typed the number in to her phone and called him so he would have hers as well.

"Thank you so much for everything. It's been an amazing day. Good luck out there," she said as she retreated back towards the locker room.

Stu nodded in her direction. "Now get home and start packing," he said with a smile

* * *

><p>"Well?" Nattie asked as she packed her ring gear in to her suitcase. "Is anything official?"<p>

Molly's smile was telling. "They never said I couldn't say anything about it, so yes! I report to FCW next week!"

"Holy cow, girl! That's awesome!" Beth ran over and hugged Molly. "If you need any support or want to bounce ideas off of anyone, let me know. I got your back."

"Did the new girl get signed?" Victoria Crawford asked as she bust through the double doors of the locker room. Victoria scanned the room and her eyes settled on Molly. "Sorry, you must be 'the new girl' I was referring to. I'm Victoria, but everyone calls me Tori," she smiled. Molly was familiar with Victoria as Alicia Fox - a model turned wrestler. Molly didn't know what to think of the girls that seemed to be handed their wrestling careers. Nonetheless, she decided to be friendly.

"I'm Molly, but you'll soon come to know me as Avery Grace," she said laughing.

"That's not bad," Victoria responded. She thought about the name for a moment. "I think I kinda like it. Will you be going to FCW first?"

"That's the plan," she responded. "I report next week." Molly hadn't expected this amount of positivity coming from the other ladies in the locker room. After everything that she had read of the dirt sheets, she expected these girls to be threatened by her. Perhaps Molly was going to steal what little ring time they already received.

"Well, good luck to you," Nattie said. "Hopefully we'll see you soon. That match was a lot of fun." Nattie and Beth grabbed the handles of their roll suitcases and headed out of the locker room towards their rental cars.

Victoria motioned for Molly. "Come on. I'll walk out with you." Both ladies made their way towards the parking lot. During their short walk they asked each other the usual getting to know you questions. Victoria informed Molly that she would be training with her sister, Christina, at FCW while Molly talked about the type of training she received in Calgary.

"Well, this is me," Molly said as she reached the trunk of her Honda. "Thank you for being so welcoming to me. I was pretty nervous about how this was going to go."

"Hey! Molly!" Molly and Victoria turned to see Stu Bennett standing at the trunk of his rental. "Congratulations, again!" He ran over to the girls and grabbed Victoria's luggage. "Let me grab that for you, sweetheart." Stu bent down for a kiss.

"Not yet..." Victoria responded. "We need to wait until we're out of the view of the fans." Stu bent down and whispered something in Victoria's ear that caused her to giggle. Molly couldn't hear what it was and she didn't want to be rude, so she rifled through her purse for her keys. "Sorry about that. We're still figuring this whole relationship out."

Molly tried hard to hide her disappointment. "Oh, so you two are together then?"

VIctoria smiled and bit her lip. "Yeah, he's great. We've been friends for a few years, since back in OVW, but now we're taking it to the next level."

"Nice," Molly responded, not wanting to hear anymore.

"It never worked out, you know? Either he was seeing someone or I was seeing someone, but now...things are great."

"That's so wonderful to hear," Molly uttered through her fake smile. She was disappointed to hear that Stu was taken by another Diva, but she was relieved to learn that his offers were genuine with no desire to take advantage of her.

"Anyway, I should go." She looked over at the rental car to see Stu thumbing through his phone. "It's been great chatting with you. I will see you soon?"

"Yeah. I'll be moving down to Tampa next week. Stu actually offered to let me crash with him while I find a place."

Victoria took a moment to process. "Oh, he did, did he? Okay, great, well, then I guess I will see you next week."

Molly smiled. "Bye, Tori." She loaded her gear in to her trunk and climbed in to the passenger seat. She sat in her car until almost everyone else had left. All the fans standing outside of the arena made her a little bit nervous and uncomfortable, but if she was going to be a WWE Superstar, this is something that she would need to get used to.

* * *

><p>Thanks for the review, WaDelicious! It's a slow start, but I promise it'll be better once all the groundwork has been laid! Enjoy and let me know what you think!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

"Thank you so much for this. I promise I will only be here for a few days while I look for a place," Molly said. She knew that she would be forever indebted to Stu for giving her a place to stay in Tampa for a while.

Stu's lips curled into a smile at hearing her appreciation. "It's really no trouble at all. I am more than happy to help out." Molly's cat, Barry, a Russian Blue, rubbed his face against Stu's leg.

"Barry thanks you too," Molly laughed.

Stu bent down and picked him up, Barry purred in his arms. Molly lifted a box up on to the bed Stu had made up for her and began to unpack.. It had taken her, Stu, PJ, and Heath about a half hour to bring all of her boxes into the house. She managed to fit everything that she needed into her SUV and small trailer hitch. Stu already had all the furniture she needed so she left most of that behind at her dad's house.

"Make yourself at home and I will see you later on tonight. There is a Publix right down the street if you need to do any grocery shopping. And don't worry about taking up too much space. I'm never home and I never cook." Stu laughed.

"Oh! I'm a great cook," Molly said. She was looking for any reason to pay Stu back for his generosity. "Any foods you don't like?"

Stu laughed. "Its easier if I tell you what I do like. Meat, chicken, salad."

"Easy enough," Molly said. "Tell Victoria I said hi."

"I certainly will." Stu nodded as he exited the room.

* * *

><p>"Hello sweetheart," Stu smirked as Victoria opened his car door. "Another new pair of shoes, I see."<p>

She slapped him playfully on the arm. "Whatever. You like it when I look this good." Leaning over the center console, she kissed him on the cheek. "You're looking particularly dapper this evening, Stuart."

"I'm just trying to keep up with you," he smiled. Stu had to admit that he loved the fact that Victoria put extra effort in to her appearance on their date nights. "You had a good day today, I take it?"

"Christina and I went shopping and had lunch together. I feel bad; she's been really stressed out about what has been going on at FCW lately. They keep signing new talent and she's frustrated because she has been working her ass off."

"She's only been there a year. Think of how long you and I were in developmental before we were called up. I spent almost five years tooling around. You Crawford girls are very impatient." Victoria slapped him again on the arm. "And fiesty. What has gotten in to you?"

"It's a new thing I am trying out," she said, smirking. "Anyway, she's just been told repeatedly that she is going to get called up soon only to have someone else get the call instead. It's just demoralizing for her. I'm her big sis. I need to do whatever I can to help."

Stu pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. "And that's what I like about you. Always far more concerned with others."

Victoria laughed as she climbed out of the car. "I try. Now give me a proper kiss hello." She walked over towards the hulking Englishman. Even in her three inch heels she was miles shorter than him. He bent down to kiss her. Though they saw each other constantly while they were on the road together, they cherished these moments alone.

After being sat, Stu continued their conversation from before. "Molly arrived today." Victoria looked up at puzzled. "The new Diva that you met last week." Victoria's eyes shot daggers in his direction. After finding out that Stu offered up a place in his home, Victoria had begged him to reconsider. It wasn't that she felt threatened by Molly, she just liked the privacy that they had in his home. Victoria's sister, Christina, was also friends with Stu and often hung out with them when they went back to her place. "Still a sore subject, huh? Look, I know you have your concerns, but she's already started looking for a place on her own. I think she wants to be there less than I want here there anyway." Victoria's eyes narrowed. "Fuck. I don't want her there. I mean, I don't mind having her it's not an imposition...how do I get myself out of this one?"

Obviously annoyed, Victoria looked back down at the menu. "You can't," she said pursing her lips after she spoke.

Stu sighed. He knew Victoria had a jealous streak and when she got in one of these moods it could ruin the whole night. "Are you really mad?" he asked.

Victoria cracked a smile. "Not really. I know you're trying to do the right thing here, but again I wish that you ran it by me first." Stu spoke the last four words along with her having heard her say that phrase to him numerous times during the car ride home that night he agreed to let Molly stay.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way _again_, let's have a nice meal together, shall we?"

* * *

><p>After a trip to the market, Molly and Barry had settled in with a bowl of quinoa and a desire to figure out Stu's remote controls. His entertainment system was far more elaborate than she was used to. She could get the tv on with no sound or she could get blaring sound with no screen. Frustrated, she lowered the volume and turned the tv off. She would apologize for screwing it all up later. She walked over to his bookshelf and grabbed his copy of Bret Hart's biography. She took note of the personalized autograph on the author page. "This is amazing, Barry," she said to her cat who was rolling around Stu's carpet on his back. "I am as close as I have ever been to hanging out with Bret Hart." Barry meowed. "Sorry, we are." She leaned down to rub his belly. She was exhausted from all the driving and excitement of starting at FCW the following day. Molly had been training and working the independents for three years. Wrestling was all she ever wanted to do. Her earliest memory of wrestling had been watching the retirement match between the Ultimate Warrior and the Macho Man at Wrestlemania 7. She was dazzled by the colorful outfits and high energy. When she would later watch the match as an adult, she was sucked into the storyline and the drama that was the relationship between Miss Elizabeth and the Macho Man. Since then all she had done was dream up storylines, write promos, create characters, and train. Thousands of hours of training. She knew that WWE was exactly where she wanted to be and now she was so close to realizing her dream. It was unreal to her.<p>

The sound of the garage door opening frightened her and snapped her back in to reality. Panicking, she put the book on the shelf and brought her dishes into the kitchen to clean them up. She didn't want Stu to think that she was snooping through his things.

Stu and Victoria entered the house, linked arm and arm laughing about something hilarious Stu had just said. "Hello," he greeted. "Molly, you remember Victoria."

"Yes, hi," she said wiping her hands on the dishcloth that rested next to the sink. "It's nice to see you again. I wanted to thank you for agreeing to let me stay here. That was very cool of you."

Suddenly, Victoria's attitude towards Molly had shifted. "Oh, of course. It's no problem at all."

Stu smirked and turned towards his girlfriend. "Really? No problem?" Victoria bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head.

"Anyway, um. I think I may have broken your television. I'm sorry. There are just so many buttons. Well, goodnight guys." She turned to Victoria. "Nice to see you again."

"You sure you don't want to stay and hang out for a bit?" Victoria asked. Barry creeped up to Victoria and rubbed his face against her bare leg. "Eek! What is that?"

Molly and Stu laughed at Victoria's expensive. "That's Barry. I have to get up early tomorrow for FCW, but thanks for the invite. Some other time, definitely."

Stu waited until Molly was up the stairs to say something. "I'm proud of you," he said. "You only seemed minimally disgusted by both Molly and the cat."

"This is just going to take some getting used to."

Stu wrapped his arms around Victoria and pulled her close. "Now, let's figure out what she did to my tv." Victoria slapped his arm again playfully. Stu laughed. "I don't like this new aggression towards me!"

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for all the reviews on previous chapters! Sorry it's taken me so long to update this - been putting all my energy into wrapping up Welcome to Tampa so I can concentrate on this...and a little something else I have going on :) Please let me know what you think!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Molly stared up at the ceiling. She had retreated to bed early in the evening, but Victoria and Stu's lovemaking had kept her awake. She wasn't upset; She knew she wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway for she was far too excited for her first day at FCW. She glanced over at the alarm clock Stu had set her up with. 5:30am. She groaned, slid her feet into her slippers and made her way downstairs. After fumbling with the coffee machine, she was finally seated at the coffee table enjoying her first cup of many. _What is it with all these appliances?_she thought. Molly was afraid to try the television again, so she picked up a soccer magazine sitting on top of a pile of mail on the kitchen island. Soccer was a sport Molly knew nothing about, but she could tell by his library and memorabilia that Stu was a big fan of the sport.

"You're awake early." Molly was startled by Stu's booming voice. She looked over to see him standing in the kitchen doorway wearing his boxers and a Preston North End t-shirt. Stu laughed. "Did I startle you?"

"I think I need to change my pants," Molly responded, her heart rate slowly normalizing.

"What pants?" Stu smiled. It was then that she realized how inappropriate her outfit was. Small navy blue boy cut briefs hugged her curves and a thin white cami settled just above her belly button.

"I'm..I'm sorry," she stuttered as she stood up from the table. She was trying to find a good place to put her hands to shield his view of her. Stu walked over to his couch and grabbed the blanket that was draped over the arm.

"Here," he said handing it to her. Molly quickly wrapped herself up. "I'm a gentleman and I promise I didn't see anything." He sat down next to her at the dining room table.

"What are you doing awake?" she asked bringing the coffee mug up to her lips, eager to change the subject.

"I'm a horrible sleeper," he said. He stared at her, observing her lack of eye contact. "We didn't wake you, did we?"

"Huh? What? No. Uh...No. I'm just really nervous about today is all," she said.

"Well, that may be, but you're also a horrible liar," he said.

"That's a very true fact," she said nodding her head. "If it's any consolation, I wasn't trying to listen." She turned bright red as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Well, if it's any consolation we weren't trying to keep you up. Believe me. Tori would be mortified if she knew," Stu said.

"Let's just drop this, ok?" Molly asked. The whole conversation was making her uncomfortable. Her first twenty four hours at Stu's home weren't going as well as she had planned. In that time she managed to mess up his television, walk around practically naked, and admit to hearing him have sex with his girlfriend. These thoughts spurred her next comment. "I'm going to look at some apartments later on today," she said, again in an attempt to emphasize that she wasn't taking his generosity for granted.

"Again, take as much time as you need," he said. "It's nice to have someone around to keep on eye on things while I'm gone. And also to break my television."

"You need to show me how to use that thing," she said. "I'm not used to such nice stuff."

"I'm sure you can figure it out," he said with a wink. "Alright, I'm going to try to get some sleep since it's my day off today. Good luck at FCW," he said as he stood up from the table and headed back upstairs. "Be on the lookout for Tori's sister Christina. I've already told her about you. She'll have your back."

* * *

><p>Molly walked in to the front door of FCW at 9:45am sharp. Steve Keirn had requested that she come in around 10am for training and assignments. The look of confusion on her face must have immediately identified herself to Steve, who was waiting by the door for her arrival. "Ah! You must be Molly Grimes," he greeted. "Or, should I say Avery Grace?"<br>"Yes, hi. I guess I should get used to Avery Grace." Molly extended her hand as a greeting. She looked around the gym and was confused by the fact that no one else was there.

"You made quite an impression during that one little dark match," he began. "I don't think you'll be here very long before you're called up to at least NXT," he said. Molly looked skeptical. "I mean, the girls here are good, but the consensus across the board is that you're already miles ahead of them. How long have you been in the independents?"

"Only a year or so," she said embarrassed at the praise.

"That's huge!" Steve exclaimed. "You've had tons of in ring experience. That's a lot than most of the girls that pass through here." His honesty was starting to make Molly uncomfortable. She hoped that no one else was around to hear his praise and target her. She knew how vicious locker rooms could be, but women's locker rooms added a whole other dynamic that she did her best to avoid.

"Well, thank you. I'm just passionate about this so I work hard, I guess," she shrugged. "Can I ask what is on the agenda for today?"

"Well, there is a taping here tonight. Do you have ring gear?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," she motioned towards the duffel bag resting at her hip.

"Show is at 7pm. Be here at 4:30." Steve turned and walked towards the back of the building.

"Um. wait. Seriously? What about training?" she asked.

"We don't train on taping days," he said, becoming annoyed with her questions.

"Oh," Molly felt shut down. "And my opponent?"

"You'll know when you come back this afternoon," he said. "Again, 4:30pm. Sharp." Steve walked back towards the offices of FCW. "See you later, Avery."

"Bye," she yelled, but he was long gone.

* * *

><p>Exhausted, Molly returned to Stu's home. She had spent her time after leaving her confusing experience at FCW looking at apartments. Anything she could find she was unable to afford or was in a horrible state. At almost thirty, she felt as though she was too old to take on new roommates and preferred to live alone. The sound ion the television of Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole's announcing drew her into the living room.<p>

"So, it does have sound," she said.

"Hey!" His greeting was almost too enthusiastic. "How was your first day?"

"Confusing," she said. She plopped down on the couch next to him, dropping her gym bag on the floor. She looked over at Stu to see Barry curled up on his lap. "Sorry, is he bothering you?"

"Not at all. Well, Steve Keirn is a confusing guy," he said. "What happened?"

"Well, there was no training and I apparently am in tv's tonight." Her pointer fingers rubbed circles around her temple.

"Yeah, that sounds like Steve," he said as he quickly turned his attention back to the television.

"Oh, I remember this," Molly stated. "This is probably one of my favorite John Cena almost turned heel promos of all time!" she said laughing.

"Well, there are plenty to choose from," he said. "I like to go back and watch things I have done to see where I can improve. Today is a promo day."

Molly furrowed her brow. "Dude, you're pretty much the best promo man in the business right now. When you come out and try to silence the crowd, it's awesome and hilarious."

Stu paused the DVD and turned. "Go on..."

"Wait, seriously?" she asked. He nodded, paying close attention to her. "You just have this...commanding presence about yourself. You're a big guy. Smarmy, arrogant, powerful. You back up those actions with your promo. That's really all good promo work is. Justify the actions of your character with your words. Justify your words with the actions of your character - when applicable, of course. You can't win every match."

"You like doing promos, I take it?"

"Love it," she said. "I'm usually a good girl, but I love delivering a solid heel promo. It's just way more fun. You've never worked as a face, right?"

"No, never had much interest," he said. "Did Steve even tell you what you'll be working as?"

Molly laughed. "No, and if he hadn't run away from me so fast I would've had the chance to ask," she said. "I guess I'll find out tonight."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for all the great reviews, favorites, and story alerts! I've been really trying to find my footing with this story so I appreciate your patience as I lay the ground work down. Please let me know what you think! <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

For the second time in an eight hour period, Molly found herself sitting in the FCW parking lot riddled with anxiety. At least this time, she had someone else with her. Stu was genuinely interested in seeing the changes that FCW had made since he left. And since Victoria would be there to support Christina - he felt as though he should lend the same to Molly.

"We've been sitting here for fifteen minutes," Stu said. "Are you ready to go in?"

Molly barely had time process all the changes that were happening in her life. Everything was happening so fast. "Huh? Yeah. It's only 4:25pm," she responded. Proactively, Stu got out of the car and walked towards the arena leaving Molly with no other choice but to follow.

"4:30pm actually means 3:30pm in Steve Keirn's world," Stu said to Molly as he surveyed the arena. Talent filled the first few rows of seating and watched as two performers duked it out in the ring. Steve Keirn was standing in the corner talking to one of the refs about the matches for that evening, but halted the conversation when he noticed Stu standing by the entrance with Molly.

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Steve called out from across the arena as he made his way over towards Stu.

"See, I told you he was weird," Stu stated with a smile. Molly had to try hard to stifle her laughter. "Hey Steve, good to see you." Stu extended his hand out to the promoter.

"Molly. Welcome back." Steve barely acknowledged her presence and turned his attention back to Stu. "Are you going to hang out for the show tonight?"

"I may. I just came by to drop Molly off and say 'hi' to a few of the guys."

"Stick around," he said. "You'll get to see Molly's debut."

"Yeah, about that," Molly interjected. "What am I going to be doing?"

"We're still working out a good place to put you," he said. "Why don't you run to the back and put your gear on." Molly turned to Stu trying desperately to hide her anxiety and new found annoyance towards Steve Keirn before heading back to the locker room area.

"Look, I don't have any information on that girl at all. Do you know anything?" Steve asked. "Does she work as a heel or what? I need something! Anything!"

Stu thought back to their conversation from earlier in the day. "Here's what you do. Have her interrupt a match, as a heel, and lay someone out. Then, have her cut a promo about how she will be FCW Diva's Champ."

"Are you sure? Can she handle that right now?"

"If she can't, then she shouldn't be here," Stu said. He wasn't exactly sure why he had so much faith in Molly. She had initially impressed him at her dark match try out with her selling abilities. For a moment he rethought his position, maybe she would make a really good babyface? He stuck with his initial decision. "She'll be great." Stu noticed Victoria's sister, Christina, waving at him from the third row. "Excuse me a moment."

"What the hell are you doing here, nerd?" Christina asked as Stu made his way over towards her. "And who's the new girl?"

"Victoria didn't tell you? That's Molly Grimes. She's new to FCW. Hell of a wrestler. I need you to be nice to her," he pleaded. "She's incredibly nervous."

Christina rolled her eyes. "Why do they keep bringing new girls on? We don't see enough ring time here as it is. I'm telling you right now they're going to eat her up like that." She snapped her fingers at the end of her sentence.

"I'll expect you to have her back," he said sternly.

Christina shook her head. "We'll see, Stuart."

Steve Keirn stood in front of the ring with Molly at his side. "Everyone, this is Molly Grimes. She'll be working here under the name Avery Grace. She's from...oh, uh, where are you from?"

"Calgary," Molly said meekly.

"Oh great!" a faceless voice called out. "Someone else that thinks they're a Hart." The arena erupted in laughter. Molly knew enough at this point to laugh along with them.

"I can assure you guys that I don't think that," Molly said with a smile across her face. "I'm here to work with you and learn from you. I'm really happy to be here with you all." Whoever made the comment mumbled out a quick "Sorry." "It's cool," Molly replied.

"Ashley, Shaul," Steve addressed the girls. "Molly is going to interrupt the end of your rematch tonight resulting in a DQ. She's going to lay both of you out," Steve said. Molly turned quickly to Steve and then over at Stu who flashed her a smile. Since all eyes were on her, she couldn't show her fear, but she felt as though she was doing a horrible job hiding it. "Molly, you'll then cut a promo stating you'll be the next FCW Diva's Champ. I think it would be a good idea for you to work with Stu on that one. One of the best promo guys I have ever seen." Molly nodded. "Any questions?" Everyone remained silent. "Alright. Then let's give them one hell of a show tonight!"

Molly made a b-line straight to Stu. "I know you are behind this," she said.

"I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't think you could do it. Look, I'll help you," he said.

"I don't need your help," she said.

Stu shrugged. "Fine. Best of luck then. I have someone that I want you to meet," he said as he lead her over to Christina Crawford. "This Victoria's sister, Christina." Both girls extended their hands out to each other and exchanged pleasantries. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Molly smiled at her kindness. "Thank you. I will," she looked between them. "I should go chat with Ashley and Shaul about the match tonight."

"Come find me when you write your promo!" Stu shouted after her.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she dismissed him as she continued on her way.

* * *

><p>Molly stood behind gorilla as she waited for her cue. She ran through the promo that she had worked on with Shaul and Ashley just a few hours prior. Stu had begged her to share her ideas, but she refused. He cited wanting her to succeed and not make a fool for herself but Molly maintained that she didn't need his advice and she could do this herself.<p>

She peeked through the curtain waiting for the set up to Shaul's finisher before running out. She slid into the ring up behind Shaul and hit her from behind, knocking her and the FCW Diva's title to the ground. Molly picked Shaul up by the hair and flattened her out with a running bulldog - an homage to her favorite wrestler, CM Punk. The crowd cheered as this mysterious new Diva put the champ in her place. A winded Ashley, playing the crowd favorite of Audrey Marie, stood up and approached Molly, hand extended as a sign of gratitude. Molly accepted her hand shake, but pulled her into a spinning side slam. Stu couldn't help but chuckle at her use of his move.

Molly picked the FCW Diva's title off the mat and raised it high in the air. She picked the microphone up and smiled cockily before she spoke. "Boo me all you want," she began. She paced around the ring surveying the damage that she had just caused. "I have sat back and watched this nonsense go on long enough," she said. "I've been waiting for my opportunity to present itself in the form of a match - any match. But I've just been sitting in the back; Patiently waiting for my turn. I've waited long enough. I realize that I need to make my own opportunities. I need to prove the I am the single best Diva on this roster." The crowd booed loudly. "You don't believe me? Take a long, hard look at the destruction that I just caused here tonight. Believe me when I say that you have only see the beginning of what I am capable of." Shaul stirred, but Molly went over and stood on her chest, pinning her to the ground. "I will beat you, Raquel, and I will take your title. Any time, any place." She dropped the title on her before exiting.

FCW commentator, Byron Saxton, jumped up from the announce table. "Excuse me, Avery? Avery?"

Molly turned around annoyed. "It's Avery Grace," she spat into the microphone.

"Avery Grace, I'm sorry. I've just been notified by Steve Keirn that you will be in a triple threat match next week for the FCW Diva's Title against Audrey Marie and FCW Diva's Champion Raquel Diaz.

A smirk spread across her features. "Good luck, ladies," she said before tossing the microphone on the ground and laughing all the way back to the gorilla position.

Victoria and Christina sat in an empty locker room. Victoria had gone to watch the show and support her sister, but Christina ended up not being booked and sat backstage for the taping complaining to Victoria about Molly and FCW's unfair treatment of the women's division.

"I don't really know what else I can say to you," Victoria said as she rubbed her sisters back.

Christina wiped tears from her eyes. "I just don't think I can do this anymore. I see girls come in take the spots that belong to me. I should've been up there tonight. I should've been in that ring. Molly is here, for what, like 5 seconds and already is getting a title shot?"

"I know, sis, it's not fair. It happens even once you're called up to the main roster." Christina wiped the tears from her eyes. Victoria handed her a tissue. "Are you doing what you love though?" Christina nodded. "Then, stick it out. It'll pay off. Go as far as you can, okay?"

The door to the locker room swung open and Molly strolled in, a smile planted firmly on her face. She saw the expression of the two girls. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just need to grab my bag."

"It's ok," Christina said. "Take your time." Molly quickly marched over to the locker and grabbed her bag. She flashed a weak smile at their direction as she exited the locker room. "How am I supposed to be nice to her?" Christina asked, tears again forming in her eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for all the great reviews, favorites, etc. I appreciate all the feedback! You're all so wonderful!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

"We should have a drink to celebrate," Stu offered as they entered the threshold of his home. Molly agreed, no doubt still riding the high that was her first successful stint at FCW. "What's your drink of choice?"

Molly shrugged. "Surprise me," she said. "I'm just going to run upstairs and put my sweats on first"

Stu's phone vibrated on the counter. "Sorry to change plans. Christina's really upset about tonight. Doing the big sis thing." Victoria didn't outright say it, but she didn't have to. Stu knew that Christina was upset about Molly's opportunity. He shot a quick text back stating that he would pick her up early for the airport. They would spend the next four days together driving around the Northeast performing house shows in New Hampshire and Springfield before Raw on Monday night in Boston and Smackdown in Providence.

Stu took two beers from the fridge and moved to the couch. He turned the television on, but nothing happened. "Jesus, Molly," he laughed under his breath. He had showed her how to turn everything on that afternoon. Another tutorial would be futile.

"I'm hopeless, I know," Molly said as she took a seat on the couch.

"I'm starting to think so," he said. "What are you going to do when I'm gone this weekend?"

"Call you every 15 minutes, obviously," she said, taking a sip of the beer he had put out for her.

"I'll have to write up a manual for you," he said. "So, how do you feel about tonight?"

Her mood turned somber. "Okay, I guess. I thought I did great, but there was just this really weird vibe." He stared at her looking for more explanation. "I get the feeling that people there don't really like me too much and I've already stepped on some toes."

"Well, you have," he said. "Most of those girls have been there a year or longer and haven't been given the opportunities that you were given tonight. It's not your fault. You don't book the shows." She sighed deeply. Molly wanted nothing more than for Stu to tell her that her feelings were unfounded. Stu knew he needed to build up her confidence. "I thought you did a phenomenal job tonight and I can see why you were signed. You really impressed me on the mic tonight. Although..." his cocky smirk spread across his features "...you would've done better with my help." Molly laughed. In that moment, she needed that laugh. She knew that the WWE was where she wanted to be and this was the only way she could get there. She was used to far more camaraderie on the independent scene. "Look," he continued. "You just have to play the game. I can help you with that. Be nice, take advice. And don't say anything that you wouldn't sign your name to, okay? You'll get people to respect you and understand why you're there."

"I want them to say 'It couldn't have happened to a nicer person,'" Molly said.

"And it will." he took a sip of his beer. "I'd love to continue the celebration, but I have four days worth of packing to do. I need to pick Victoria up at 5:30. I'm usually still awake then, but she's not a morning person."

"I'm a horrible sleeper, too." She looked in her bottle, but sadly all of the booze was gone.

"Good luck with your house show this weekend, Molly. You'll do a great job." He grabbed her empty bottle from her and walked them to the sink in the kitchen.

"Thanks. You too." She smiled weakly. He had left her defeated.

"Oh, and don't break anything important." She nodded, the smile stretched a little farther.

* * *

><p>"Molly, I have some good news and some bad news," Steve Keirn yelled from across the arena. Molly had been standing by the edge of the ring making small talk with Ashley and Shaul. They were all still waiting to hear how the triple threat match that night would play out. "The bad news is..." He looked at the three girls standing before him. "You better come with me." Molly excused herself with a nod and walked back towards Steve's office. "You're not going to win tonight," he said. "Instead, you're going to brought up to Smackdown next week."<p>

Molly was speechless. "Thanks," she said. "Do you really think I'm ready?"

Steve questioned the doubt in her eyes. "It's not up to me," he said. "I'm not the one who brought you down here."

"Right..." Molly laughed off his comment. She was embarrassed that she had asked such a foolish question. "I'm ready. I am ready," she repeated almost like a mantra.

"Thatta girl!" he said, already walking away from her headed to face his next course of business.

She walked back over towards her opponents, who were now standing with Christina Crawford. The girls all became silent when she entered the conversation again. Molly bit the inside of her cheek at the realization that they were talking about her. "So, this Florida humidity is wreaking havoc on my hair..."

"You'll get used to it," Raquel interrupted. "What did Steve want to talk to you about?"

"Oh, um, I'm losing the match tonight," she said. "And, no, unfortunately I don't know who is going to win."

"Well, what's the good news?" Ashley asked. Molly looked puzzled. "Steve said he had good news and bad news. What is it?"

Molly looked between the three girls and took note of their body language. Raquel stood with lips pursed. Christina's hand was on her hip. Ashley's arms were folded. Molly realized that these girls weren't the first people that she wanted to share this news with. "He just said that another title shot isn't far off." Christina scoffed. "But who knows how far off? Promoters say things like this all the time, you know?" She turned and walked back towards the locker room, eager to tell someone that may be happy for her.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're handling this ok, fella? She's a beautiful girl." Stephen had to doubt Stu's motives for letting Molly stay at his home. "And Tori isn't pissed off about this?"<p>

Stu laughed. 'Well, less so now. She just needs a mentor."

"Oh yeah? And what exactly are you going to teach her?" he asked with a smirk. "Come on. I'm just teasing you. I want you to be careful though. You don't even know this girl."

"Relax, she's fine. I did some investigating. A few of the guys here had heard of her and had nothing but nice things to say. Case closed."

"And Tori?" Stephen asked again.

Stu rolled his eyes. "She's upset because Christina feels like Molly has just stormed in to take her place at FCW. And Molly is already terrified that everyone hates her as it is. I asked Christina to reach out as a mentor, but she's not really cooperating. Neither is Tori for that matter." A text message flashed on his phone. "Oh shit. Molly's debuting on Smackdown next week."

"Sounds like Tori might have to worry about Molly taking her spot." He patted Stu on the back. "You are knee deep in a shit storm of drama, my friend. Good luck sorting through it all."

* * *

><p>Molly glanced up in to the ring as Ashley was rewarded with her first FCW Diva's Championship title reign. Molly had gone for her finishing move, but Shaul countered and threw Molly over the top rope. Ashley took that opportunity to roll Shaul up and get the pin shocking the Tampa, Florida crowd.<p>

The three ladies made their way back to the locker room area to get cleaned up, congratulating each other the whole way on a terrific match. Shaul wasn't upset at having lost the title. "My time to move up is coming up soon," she said. "I have a good feeling about it." Molly and Ashley nodded.

Always the optimist, Ashley decided to be more inclusive in her congratulations. "I don't want to say that we are the future of the company, but all of us plus Saraya could totally take over the Divas division."

They opened the door to the locker room and saw Christina and Saraya sitting on a bench. "Congratulations, Molly."

The two competitors glanced in Molly's direction. "What are we congratulating her for?" Ashley asked.

"She's going to debut on Smackdown next week," Christina said, crossing her arms across her chest. "Why did you keep it from us?"

Molly looked between the women. The stances that they had taken during the previous conversation where she had to defend herself were back. If this was the way she was going to be treated, Molly was happy to be leaving. "I didn't know it was definite."

"Well, it is," Christina said.

"I think that's great, actually, " Ashley said. "My matches with Molly have been fun." she said.

Molly smiled. "Thanks, Ash," she said. "Who knows? They might realize this was a huge mistake and I'm not ready."

Shaul softened slightly. "No, you're ready," she said as she patted Molly on the shoulder. "You'll be great." Molly had to give Shaul credit for hiding her disappointment and feigning excitement for her. "Good luck."

Christina huffed and pushed through the girls, exiting the locker room with her gym bag in tow. Molly couldn't help but feel responsible for how Christina felt. She knew how frustrating it could be to watch someone just coast to the top.

"Don't sweat it," Ashley said. "We'll see you at the top."

* * *

><p>Stu sat on the edge of the hotel bed and ran his hands over his face. "Everything okay?" Tori asked. It was rare that he appeared stressed.<p>

"Yeah. Just tired, I guess." He glanced over at his phone. He had to respond to Molly's text message. He had immediately intended to, but his conversation with Stephen made him paranoid. "I'm going to step out for a bit and give Molly a call to check in."

"Why? Did she call you?" Tori was still suspicious of Stu's involvement with Molly.

"No, but I have this sinking feeling she has broken something," he said as he placed a kiss to Tori's forehead. "I'll be right back, darling." Stu walked briskly down the stairs out to the hotel lobby and dialed Molly's number on his cell. "Well, congratulations!" he said to a sleepy sounding Molly.

"Thanks..." she trailed off. "I should tell you that Christina's pissed. The other girls aren't so much anymore. They're going to hate me, aren't they?"

Stu attempted to be reassuring. "No. Tori will have your back..."

"That's what you said about Christina," she interrupted. "And that went so well."

"Just show up and wrestle," he said. "That's the only advice I can give you. Also, stop breaking things in my house. Speaking of which, anything I need to know about?"

Molly laughed. "I haven't touched a thing since you left. I'm sitting here in total darkness." She muted the television.

"I heard that. I left the tv on for you, you know. You're not fooling anyone," he said.

"Goodbye, Stu," she laughed. "Kill it on the road."

He ended the call and smiled. "Hey, fella," Stephen greeted. "Important secret phone call?" He smiled.

"Shut up, you stupid bastard," Stu said as he pressed the button to open the elevator. "I was just checking in at home. That is part of Molly's responsibilities."

"Oh, is that right, now?" A smile plastered across Stephens face as the elevator opened on his floor. "Good luck to you."

"Goodnight," Stu sighed as he went in the separate direction from Stephen. He opened his door to find Tori sitting on the bed, again trying to reason with a hysterical Christina.

"Sorry," she mouthed to Stu. "Chris, honey, can I talk to you about this tomorrow. I have to be up at 6am for a radio interview," she pleaded. "Thanks, sweetie. Love you too. It'll be ok." She hung up the phone and turned her attention to Stu. "Did you know Molly is already being brought up to Smackdown?"

"She just told me," Stu lied. "It's great news, I think."

"Seriously, Stuart? You think? Christina is pissed!" she said.

"I bet, but..." Stu said. He was making every attempt to choose his words carefully.

"...but what?" Tori asked.

"Uhhh..." Stu knew it was too late to take it back. "It's not about Christina, love. It's about what's good for the business. Molly has years of experience over Christina." He moved to the bed and wrapped his arm around her. "Her time will come. Patience, my love." He ran his hands through her hair and kissed her passionately, gently pushing her down on the bed.

"Stu...I have media early tomorrow." She rolled on her side away from him.

"Right..." he said. "Sleep well, my love." Stu rolled over on his back and closed his eyes. There was no way he would be getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

><p><strong>Finally! An update! Thank you guys for being so patient while I try to craft this story :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks for all the notifications and likes you guys have given me! <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

The punching bag wavered back and forth with each punch Molly threw in it's direction. She found this to be the perfect distraction from everything else going on in her life. Her anxieties about joining the Smackdown roster had consumed her over the weekend, but the time off gave her a chance to get more settled in Tampa. She had spent the morning looking at apartments and fell in love with a one bedroom on the south east side of the city, close to St. Pete. She just needed the credit check to go through and she would be set to move in for the first of the upcoming month. She threw a quick jab at the bag. All this instability was making her more anxious than normal. Thankfully, Stu had provided her with a free place to crash so she could hold on to her savings to cover first and last months rent.

She ran the back of her forearm across her face, aggressively pushing her hair out of her eyes. Barry creeped into the room and rubbed his head against her leg, a sure sign that he needed to be fed. Molly led Barry into the kitchen where she removed her headphones from her ears and placed her ipod on the doc on the kitchen counter. The song she had been listening to, Robyn's _Dancing on my Own_ blared from the small set of Bose's speakers. Molly opened the door to the pantry as she danced and sang along to the lyrics.

_I'm just gonna dance all night_

Grabbing a can of cat food, she made her way over to Barry's dish and dumped the wet food in.

_I'm so messed up, I'm so outta line_

Barry sidled up the bowl and began taking tiny bites of his food. Molly squatted down and rubbed his back as he ate.

_Stilettos and broken bottles_

_I'm spinning around in circles_

She stood up and walked the can out to the recycling bin in the garage.

_So far away, but still so near_

_And you don't see me standing here_

Dancing her way back in, she turned the speakers up as the chorus kicked in.

_I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ohhhhhh_

As soon as Molly had shut the door to the garage, Stu pressed the controller on his garage door opener and pulled his car in. Normally, he would've grabbed his bags and headed inside to take a shower and a nap, but he was too intrigued by the loud pop music emanating from his home.

_I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home_

Stu slowly opened the garage door to see Molly with her back to him dancing around his kitchen. His gaze traveled up her body. Short dark purple gym shorts met with a black thin strapped tank top. She clearly hadn't been listening when he told her what time he would be home.

_I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ohhhh_

_I'm right over here, why can't you see me? ohhhh_

Her hands lifted up into her hair and her hips swayed back and forth.

_I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home_

_I keep dancing on my own_

Molly laughed at herself and how foolish she must've looked dancing, but that only made her flail her arms around more.

_I keep dancing on my own_

Desperate to hear the song again and continue with her therapeutic dancing, Molly turned to head towards her ipod, but was startled by an Englishman standing with his arms crossed. She screamed and jumped back.

"Nice moves," he said.

She was embarrassed more than anything. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to get the sense that you are a terrible dancer," he said with a smirk.

"Har Har. Let's see your moves, Stuart. Anyway, I didn't know you were coming back tonight," she said, still trying to catch her breath. "For a big man, you can sneak up on people when you have to. That's two, the next one will give me a heart attack."

"Well, it's easy to sneak up on you when you're breaking the sound barrier in my home with this trash," he gestured at the iPod.

"Excuse me, but Robyn is not trash, sir." Molly took a bottle of water out of the fridge and gulped about half of it back.

"That thing you call dancing takes a lot out of you, I see."

She shook her head. "No, I was hitting your heavy bag in the garage before."

"What happened to the gym?" he asked.

"I didn't feel much like being around people today. That explains this erratic behavior of dancing and punching."

"Which one was which?"

She punched him in the arm. "Anyway, tell me about life on the road," she said. If she was going to be going out on the road next week, she wanted to be prepared.

Stu didn't want to approach the subject of accommodations with Molly. He knew that she didn't know anyone else on the roster and een though he felt it was perfectly reasonable for her to tag along, Tori had different thoughts on the matter. Even when Stu had argued that if it had in fact been Christina, Tori would've been agreeable to a third wheel, but Tori said that none of that mattered because family is different than "random girls he mentors."

"About that," he began. "I think it's best if you make your own accommodations. I can help you if you like. It's old hat for me at this point," he said.

"No worries," she said. "Stephen sent me an email earlier today saying I could tag along with him and Bryan if I like." He looked at her suspiciously. Mostly he was thinking of how Stephen had read his mind. "I figured it would be too much is we also traveled together. I'm encroaching on your life enough as it is. Not to mention your relationship."

He looked down at the ground. To say that he and Tori were going through a rough patch was an understatement. No doubt having Molly move in certainly complicated things, but he didn't expect this much of an impact on his relationship. All of their relationships were tied just too closely together.

"So...," she continued. "I found an apartment today."

"Oh yeah?" Stu's ears perked back up. If he could give Tori an end date to all this it might make a difference. "Where about's?"

"Near St. Pete. It'd be for July. I'm just waiting on the credit check."

"Well, if you need someone to co-sign on the lease..." he stated.

"I knew you were desparate to get rid of me!" she joked. "Whatever. I mean...I just want to thank you again for everything. It's been so much easier to have your support and bed while I've become adjusted. Now if you could do something about the humidity..."

He smiled. "That I cannot."

"Anyway, I'll let you be. I'm sure you have plans tonight or something." She grabbed the empty water bottle and walked towards the garage.

"Actually, I don't have anything going on. Would you like to get dinner with me?" Molly stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. Surely he couldn't be asking her on a date. He looked down at the ground. "That came out a bit wrong..."

Molly laughed nervously. "Sure," she said. "Sounds fun. I'll get changed."

Stu leaned against the kitchen counter and sighed. He needed to grab his bags and take a cold shower after that exchange.

* * *

><p>"You know, I've never been a big fan of Indian food, but I trust your judgement," she said glancing over the menu. "I can't handle anything spicy so all the stuff with the peppers is off limits. Do you have any suggestions?"<p>

"Something without the peppers," he smirked. "I mean, really, it's all good, Molls."

Molly smiled. "Since when did you take to calling me 'Molls?'" she asked.

"What? I've always called you Molls," he stated. He hadn't. He figured that his male friends had nicknames, Molly should have one too. It would help create distance between them.

The conversation over dinner had gone well. He got her to open up a little bit more about her home life, her very brief relationship with Colt Cabana, and just how much FCW had made her feel like an outsider. "I don't want to say anything bad about anyone, Stu. Least of all someone you're close to, but Christina really hates me. She like really hates me."

Stu sighed. "I know. Believe me I didn't think that this would go this way. You're moving on to bigger and better things now though. This is a whole new chance to start over. You've already met most of the girls and they think very highly of you. Just be your naturally charming self," he said. Stu laughed as a bead of sweat cascaded down her collarbone. "Are you alright?"

Molly nodded. She grabbed her half empty water glass and chugged it's contents. "I'm fine," she said. She dabbed the cloth napkin along her upper lip. "Just a bit spicy," she added.

"You ordered the most mild thing on the menu," he said.

"I told you, I have zero tolerance for spice. Excuse me a moment?" Molly headed towards the bathroom to most likely wash her mouth out of all the strong peppers coating her taste buds.

The waiter stopped by the table as Molly was making her way back. "Can I get you anything else tonight?"

Stu glanced at Molly, her face flush and hairline slightly sweaty. "No, I think we're okay," he said.

"Great, I'll leave this here for you then. You can pay up front when you're ready."

Molly grabbed the check before Stu had the chance. "Before you argue, this is my first of many attempts to repay your kindess."

"Thanks, Molls." he said, winking.

"Weirdo..." She strolled up to the counter and paid the bill. Stu followed close behind escorting her out to his truck and opening the door for her.

He used the walk over to the driver's side to calm him down again. Stephen was right, he needed to be careful. The drive home was mostly Molly asking him about his preference in music. When she had insisted that he play a Stone Roses song for her, Stu couldn't protest. "I Am the Resurrection" blared through truck.

"Do you like it?" he asked. Tori had never been interested in hearing his music.

"Yeah, I do. It's not what I normally listen to, but I like it!" she yelled over the guitar riffs.

Once they were in the garage, she quickly opened her door and headed inside. Her mouth was on fire. Stu walked in to the kitchen and found her with her face buried in a pint of Ben and Jerry's. He laughed at the sight of her. "I don't usually keep that in the house."

"Sometimes I get sad," she joked. "And sometimes my mouth is on fire!"

Stu opened the fridge and poured her a glass of milk. "Here," he said. "This should help ease the pain." He took the ice cream from her and put it back in the freezer. She needed to learn quickly that that would have to be abolished from her diet. She chugged the milk. "Better?"

"Yes," she said breathlessly. "Much better."

He took a step towards her with the sole intent to take the glass from her hands, but he was spurred on by her body language. She was leaning against the kitchen island, the tops of her breasts peeking out from behind a deep v-neck purple dress. He took another step towards her and she didn't flinch. Perhaps she trusted him implicitly. He bent down, his lips slightly parted, seeking a kiss. He saw Molly's eye close slowly, no doubt she was getting lost in the moment as well. As soon as their lips slightly touched, she backed away.

"Oh fuck," she said. "I'm sorry."

He grabbed the glass and hurried over to the sink. "No, no, uh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," he said.

"No, it's ok," she said. "I know I'm really pretty with all this food sweat," she joked. It was attempt to lighten the mood, but it went over like lead balloon. Stu stood at the sink with his back to her, afraid to turn around and face her. "Um, I should go to bed. Sleep well," she said. Stu was relieved when he heard to sound of her heels click across the floor and up the stairs. He was even more relieved when her bedroom door shut.

He hung his head. "Fuck..." He rubbed his eyes. "What the fuck did you just do?"

* * *

><p><strong>WOW! Thank you guys for the great response! I'm so glad that you seem to be enjoying this story. Let me know your thoughts! And while you're waiting for the next update, check out some of my other stories. My giant novel, Welcome to Tampa, is wrapping up soon. And there are plenty of other smutty goodies over there for you. Have a great long weekend!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

"_I really just feel like I need to be with my sister right now." Tori packed a few personal items into her suitcase. Stu sat on the edge of the bed processing their conversation. "And besides, the fact that you have that girl staying with you isn't helping things either." She zipped her suitcase and paused. "In fact, the reason why I need to be with my sister right now is partly because of that girl."_

"_It's not Molly's fault, Tori, you know that." _

"_I am entitled to feel how I feel! Stop telling me what I am thinking and feeling. God!" She tapped her long red finger nails on the top of her suitcase. "I'm sorry. Look, let's just...spend some time apart for a few days."_

_Stu ran his hand over his face. "Like a break?"_

_Hearing Stu say the words out loud made her quickly reconsider. "No, babe, just time apart. Tensions have been really high between us. We are around each other twenty four seven. I mean, we knew this was going to happen." Stu nodded. Tori leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, leaving behind a smudge of lip gloss. She brushed it away with her thumb and winked at him. "We'll be okay." _

Stu kept replaying that conversation over and over in his mind. Tori's reasons for wanting time apart had to do with Molly. Maybe she could see through him. But how could she when even he didn't know how he felt? It wasn't until he kissed her in the kitchen that he realized just why she was staying with him. He was attracted to her. He couldn't be attracted to her. He shouldn't be attracted to her.

Over the past few days Stu had gone out of his way to avoid running into Molly. She would greet him when she returned home from the gym or running errands and he would acknowledge her presence, but he wanted to create space between them while he wrestled with his thoughts. He spent a few nights out drinking with Heath and the others he spent in his room.

Stu glanced at his watch. He would need to leave in about 45 minutes to pick up Tori to head for the airport. It would be the first time they saw each other since he dropped her off Tuesday evening. His thoughts were interrupted by Molly's cell phone text alert and the sound of her flip flops coming down the stairs. "Morning," she greeted.

"Morning," he nodded in return. "Do you need a ride to the airport this morning?"

She placed a K-Cup in the Keurig. "Nope, Stephen is picking me up. Thanks, though," she said.

He stood up from the kitchen table and placed his mug in the sink. "Well, I should get ready..."

"Stu, wait. I can't help but feel like things have been really awkward these last few days. I'm prepared to give you all the space that you need, but I need you to know that we're ok." His brow furrowed. Molly suddenly became aware of the depth of the conversation they were having. "I'm not, like, reading into anything, but, uh, we're cool." She nervously swung her arms around. "Just so you know."

He couldn't help but laugh at her goofy antics. "Thank you," he said.

"You didn't, uh, tell Tori, did you?" Molly asked nervously. She didn't need to give Victoria Crawford anymore reason to hate her.

"No," Stu replied.

"Oh, good," Molly sighed. "So, she's not going to murder me or anything? Awesome." Molly flashed a thumbs up at Stu. Another text alert flashed on Molly's home. "Stephen's here to pick me up." She sealed the to go lid on her coffee mug. "I'll see you in Detroit!"

Stu followed her out, opening the front door. "Oi! You're not going to come in here and help the lady with her bags?"

Stephen flashed a smile as he shut the driver's side door of his SUV. "Yeh didn't even give me a chance, fella. Hey Molls, what's going on?" Stephen grabbed her bags from her and wheeled them around to the back of the truck. "Go ahead and get in. I got it from here," he winked at her.

Stu followed him around to the back of the truck. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you driving her to the airport?"

Stephen took a step close to Stu to prevent Molly from hearing. "I'm doing you a favor," he whispered. "You really think a car ride between her and Tori would go well? Besides, you didn't even ask her if she had a ride, did ya?" Stu shook his head. "Well, I guess that makes me her knight in shining armor, doesn't it?" Stu perked up at that comment. The last thing he wanted was one of his best friends trying to make a play at Molly. "Did I hit a nerve there, fella?" He patted a silent Stu on the shoulder and headed around to the driver's side. "We'll race you," he said as he climbed in the black Land Rover.

Molly flashed a bright smile and waved at the Englishman as Stephen backed out of the driveway. He must've said something funny, because Molly's attention turned to Stephen, a hearty laughter escaping her lips and a hand pressed to her chest to help contain that laughter.

Stu glanced at his watch. "Fuck..." he was running ten minutes late. Tori would be pissed.

* * *

><p>"The way I see it," Beth began. "They're just wasting our time with another Battle Royal." She rolled her eyes.<p>

Eve and Nattie nodded. "At least it's not some bathing suit gimmick or mud fight again," Nattie said.

"Come on, Beth, you know you would do anything that they asked you to do," Celeste Bonin chimmed in. The girls all turned to look at her. "I would too!" she yelled defensively. Celeste had a point; None of them would ever say anything. Ever.

Molly sat in the corner, her eyes darting between the women like she was watching a tennis match. She was in no position to express an opinion, let alone have one. "I haven't heard anything yet," Molly said. "What's going to happen with this Battle Royal?"

"Well, a bunch of us are going to be asked to leave the ring quickly and one person will win," Nattie said.

"Oh, sorry. I meant like who is going to win and what they get and all that," Molly clarified.

"We don't know who's going to win yet. Are you already clamoring for a title shot here?" Tori asked, he hands perched on her hips.

Molly wished she could take back her question. "No, I just...I have absolutely no idea how things work around here," she said, laughing nervously.

Beth and Nattie nodded. "Well, most days we don't either," Beth said. Tori slammed her locker door shut and marched out of the Diva's locker room. Beth turned to Molly. "What was that about?"

Molly sighed. "I really wish I could tell you."

* * *

><p>The crew was still busy setting up the chairs around the ring when the Diva's had been requested to run through their Battle Royal. Molly entered through the side backstage door. She didn't want the first time she went through Gorilla as a Diva to be during the pre-show. She walked over to Beth and Nattie, hoping that they would take pity on her and include her in their conversation.<p>

Glancing around the arena, she saw various Superstars and Diva's broken off in to little groups. Stephen and Bryan were leaning against the barricade and joking around. Cody Runnels and Jay Reso were talking about their big spots for their rematch later on that evening. She saw Stu and Tori up in the stands. He was sitting in one of the arena seats while Tori stood facing him, gesturing wildly. Molly had a horrible feeling that she was talking about her. She used her best judgement and decided to refrain from waving even though she knew he would appreciate it if she threw a funny face his way in such a tense moment.

"Diva's to the ring," the PA system announced.

All the girls climbed up steps and through the ropes forming a semi-circle around Paul Levesque. "Ladies," he began. "Here is how things are going to go tonight. Melina," he glanced at Rosa Mendes. "You will be eliminated first by Celeste, but Celeste will be eliminated next by Beth. Beth and Nattie, I want you two to team up to eliminate Sarona and April. Molly, you will eliminate Tori and Barbie before being eliminated immediately by Beth. Layla and Beth, you will have about another thirty seconds before Beth eliminates Layla to win. Any questions?" Molly bit her bottom lip. "No? Great. Work out your spots, please."

Molly glanced out of the ring and made eye contact with Stephen, who had heard the entire thing. "I'm fucked," she mouthed in his direction. He could only flash a smile and a thumbs up. She was fucked.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for all the great reviews so far! This story has been difficult to write for a few reasons. Big time writers block with this one :) Enjoy! And please let me know your thoughts!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

Molly stood in gorilla with other with the other Diva's waiting for the first bit of entrance music to hit. It was then that Molly realized she had no idea what music she would be going out to. She walked over to a stage hand shouting orders into his headset. "Excuse me?" she asked meekly. The stage hand put his finger up asking for a moment to finish his comments. She heard Kaitlynn's entrance music start and watched Celeste Bonin make her way down the ramp to an influx of applause. Suddenly, the music switched to something generically techno.

"Go!" the stagehand yelled at Molly. She pointed at herself. "Get out there! Now!" he ordered.

She quickly stumbled towards gorilla and made her way down the ramp smiling. At this point she then realized that she didn't know if she was an intimidating heel or a happy go lucky face. Before she even had time to think about her character, the music changed and Victoria Crawford came dancing right behind her. Molly had to step it up to get to the ring or Tori was going to pass by her. Not wanting to do anything too flashy, she calmly lifted the ropes and passed through, taking a stance next to Celeste, sealing her characters fate as a face. However, Tori, also a face, chose to stand on the opposite side of the ring, as far away from Molly as possible.

The last girl to enter was Diva's Champ, Layla, whose music played as Raw came back from commercial break. The girls had been told that they had only four minutes to work the entire match and that they were to eliminate each other rapidly. The bell rung signifying the start of the match. Molly wanted to grant Tori a reprieve, so she immediately gunned for Barbie, who was set to eliminate no one. A few quick punches to the face was all it took to sway Barbie into Molly's arms where she easily eliminated her. She marched over to Nattie, the only Diva on the roster she was comfortable working with, and kicked her in the stomach, forcing Nattie to fold in half. Tori came up from behind and swung Molly into a neckbreaker, a move that she was not expecting and was rarely ever used in Battle Royals due to its implications. Molly hit the mat with a thud, bile immediately rising into her throat as she felt the effects of whiplash.

Dazed, Molly stood up and spun in the ring trying to find Tori. She threw a very light punch her way which Tori no-sold, and then countered with a hard slap across the face that almost stopped the other Diva's in their tracks. The crowd cheered for Tori, a celebrated face, and boo-ed when Molly grabbed Tori by the hair and smacked her head into the turnbuckle a few times. Tori's behavior was really starting to piss Molly off, but she didn't want it to get the best of her. Despite Tori's efforts to ruin Molly's first match in the WWE, she sold everything Tori threw at her.

Celeste, Sarona, and Barbie had all been eliminated. It was time for Tori to go. Molly pushed Tori towards the ropes and grabbed both of her feet. Tori stood her ground. Molly used every feat of strength she had to push Tori up and over the ropes. Finally satisfied, Molly turned around expecting to be eliminated by Beth, but Beth held back when she saw Tori slide under the rope to get back in. Tori grabbed Molly from behind, spinning her around and placing a devastating scissor kick, that, again, Molly was unprepared for. She didn't get up. Tori's knee had landed on her nose, which both knocked her out and caused blood to gush from her face.

Beth and Nattie looked at each other and then charged over toward Tori. They knew they needed to get her out of the ring as quickly as possible before she caused more damage. Nattie lifted her up and tossed her out of the ring while Beth slowly and carefully slid Molly out of the ring towards the referee. Layla, sensing the urgency to end the match, clotheslined both Diva's from behind eliminating Beth and Nattie to win the match.

Nattie immediately went over to Molly as the ref put up the X sign asking for paramedics to rush down for assistance. "Molly! Molly!" Nattie yelled. Molly's eyes fluttered open at Nattie's request. She looked between Nattie and the ref and swallowed hard. Nattie helped her sit up as the medic tended to her nose. She looked up at Nattie confused. "I think she broke your nose, sweetie," Nattie said.

"You probably have a concussion. Do you want to take the stretcher out of here?" the medic asked.

She shook her head. "No, I'm going to walk." Molly grabbed on to the side of the ring to help herself up. Nattie linked arms with her to help escort her backstage as the medic followed closely behind. The audience stood and clapped for her as she made her way backstage with Nattie's assistance. She walked right by Celeste and Tori. Celeste went to ask what happened, but Nattie shook her head discouraging her from asking in front of Tori. Everyone had seen what happened backstage. Everyone witnessed Tori's antics. Everyone including Stuart Bennett.

* * *

><p>The backstage exam roomed seemed blurry in Molly's view as she sat on the exam table. The medic, who'd she'd come to know as Josh, shined a flashlight in her eyes. "There's no doubt you had a concussion, Molly. Thankfully, it seems like you've pretty much recovered from the impact. The back of your head hit the ring hard though. And I don't even need to tell you about your nose, do I?"<p>

"It's broken," she mumbled.

He flashed her a smile. "Yes, but I already set it. You're just going to have two gorgeous black eyes," he joked. She didn't smile. A knock on the door didn't distract Josh from tending to cleaning up her nose.

"You said she'd have my back," Molly said at the sight of Stu Bennett.

Ignoring her comment, he rushed over to her side. "I didn't see what happened," he lied. He wanted to hear Molly's version.

"Well, long story short, I was unfortunately picked to be the one to eliminate Tori. She didn't like that, so she broke my nose and gave me a concussion. Then Nattie eliminated her and that was awesome, because I didn't want to have a cast that everyone would want to sign and be that annoying needy girl that needs someone to carry her luggage all the time." He chuckled. "I'm glad you find this funny," she said.

"I find you funny," he said.

Molly wasn't laughing. "You should probably leave now," she said. "I don't want her to know you came in here. I might end up in the bottom of a river," she said.

Stu wanted to stay there to make sure she was okay. She needed someone to hold her hand through this. He knew Molly was tough, he could sense that when she had denied the stretcher, but someone should be in there with her. Not knowing where Stephen was, he shot him a text asking him to stay with Molly while she got cleaned up.

"Don't ask anyone to come in here, please," she advised. "I don't feel like talking about what happened out there with anyone."

"But what about getting back to the hotel?" he asked.

Her face scrunched at having to continue talking to him. "I'll figure it out. Please go," she said, putting up her hand.

* * *

><p>"I don't think I'm supposed to let you sleep, lass," Stephen said as they walked in to the hotel room. Molly had booked her own room in the same hotel as Bryan and Stephen, but Stephen insisted that Molly stay with him so he could keep an eye on her and sent Bryan to sleep in her single room.<p>

"Oh, please," she said rolling her eyes. "Josh said it was fine for me to sleep. He said I _had_ a concussion." She hopes her emphasis on the past tense would let her get some sleep.

"Still," he said.

She ran her hand over her forehead. She had a million thoughts fluttering through. _How could she face Tori? Was WWE going to want to have a talk with her about what happened? What would happen when she got back to Tampa? How would be injured so soon in her WWE tenure impact her career. _"Do you have an advil or tylenol?" she asked.

"No, sorry, but let me run down to the front desk. I'm sure they have some down there. Don't move," he instructed.

As soon as the door shut, Molly headed in to the bathroom. She had yet to see what she actually looked like. The bathroom lights blinded her and she felt nautious as she tried to adjust her focus in the mirror. Her taped up nose was sandwiched between two black eyes, but there was not a drop of blood in sight. Josh had done a good job. She lightly pressed her fingers under her right eye and winced at the pain; She was terrified to even touch her nose for fear that the slightest touch might undo Josh's handiwork. She noticed some dried blood on her hands and ran them under the faucet.

"I thought I told yeh not to move?" Stephen placed two aspirin in her hand. "Aspirin is better. It won't thin out yer blood."

"Thanks," she smiled. She grabbed the plastic cup resting beside the bathroom sink and filled it with water.

Stephen crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the door frame of the bathroom. "Do yeh want to talk about what happened tonight?" He believed his imposing stance would keep her trapped and force her to talk about what made Tori attack her.

Molly shook her head as she downed the pills. "There's really nothing to talk about." Stephen stared at her skeptically. "She's hate me since day one. Well, that's not entirely true. She's hated me since I moved in with Stu. I don't blame her. I mean, it is weird and awkward. From what I can guess she hates me for taking away opportunities her sister should have had." Stephen rolled his eyes. "Yeah, tell me about. And I'm sure that whole living with her boyfriend thing doesn't help."

"Has anything ever happened between you two?"

Molly giggled. "No," she lied. Her almost kiss with Stu wasn't even worth mentioning. He had initiated it anyway so if Tori should have scissor kicked anyone, it should've been Stu. "Anyway, there's your really boring story of why Victoria Crawford tried to kill me tonight."

"She probably just feels a little threatened is all," Stephen reasoned.

"I know she feels threatened, but I have fuck all to do with anything." A hearty yawn escaped from Molly's lips making her flinch in agony. She had almost forgotten about the broken nose and two black eyes. She looked at herself again in the mirror and started to cry. "How could someone do this to me?"

Stephen walked over and wrapped her up in his arms. Neither one of them had really seen the reality of the situation. Tori didn't want to send a message, she wanted to hurt Molly. And she had succeeded. Stephen had known Tori for years and had never seen this type of behavior manifest itself in anyway. To be honest, it worried him. He was worried about Molly and he was worried about his friend, who was stuck in this relationship, too blind to see what was going on. Stephen stroked her hair as her quiet sobs dampened his shirt. "Why don't we get you to bed, lass?" He felt her nod against his chest. He helped over to one of the double beds in the far corner of the room and tucked her in. She thanked him profusely for caring for her and listening to her complaints. "I have some more aspirin for the morning. Sleep well, Molls."

* * *

><p>"What the fuck was that?" Stuart Bennett had been standing at the foot of the bed of their hotel room waiting for Tori to show up. When he went to find her after his match against Tyson Kidd, he had been told that she already left the arena. He had been trying to come up with something clever to say to her, but he couldn't get past the phrase he used without going on a tirade.<p>

Tori crinkled her nose. "Well, happy to see you two."

"We need to talk about this. You seriously hurt Molly," he said.

"Oh, you saw the match?" she asked. He nodded. "Funny, because you never watch my matches. Was it only because Molly was in it? Or were you staring at Melina or Celeste?"

"I was watching you. Hoping that you weren't going to do something stupid..." Tori laughed. As she stepped closer to him she could smell the vodka on her breath. "You're in no position to have a serious, rational conversation, are you?"

Tori giggled as she mocked the Englishman. "No, Stuart, I guess I am not able to have a rational conver...sation." She was slurring her words. She walked over to the bed and started removing her boots.

"This is over," he said.

"This conversation? Good," she said.

"No, this. Our relationship. It's over," he said. She looked up at him confused. Strangely, Tori had never considered the implications of her actions. Stu grabbed his keys and headed towards the door. "You're pathetic."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for all the great reviews! I love reading your feedback. Please continue to let me know what you think of the story. This has been really fun - no smut for once...yet ;) <strong>


	10. Chapter 10

After leaving Tori the first thing on Stu's mind was tracking down Molly and making sure she was okay. He was upset she had thrown him out of the exam room, but he knew that she was only trying to protect him. After obtaining her room number, 503, from the clerk at the front desk, he made his way up. He knocked a few times before a sleepy Bryan Danielson opened the door.

"She's not here," Bryan said through half open eyes. Sensing his confusion, Bryan continued. "Stephen wanted to keep an eye on her so we switched rooms. She's in rough shape."

Stu sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I know. I feel like this is all my fault."

"Leave her alone tonight and let her get some rest." Bryan noticed Stu's suitcase at his feet. "If you need a place to sleep tonight, the couch pulls out."

"Thanks," Stu said. Bryan waved him into the hotel room. "I appreciate it." He rolled his suitcase in and took the pillows and cushions off of the pull out sofa. "Do you think that Stephen..."

"Nope," Bryan interrupted. "He's looking after her because he knows you can't."

"He knows she doesn't want me to," Stu said.

"Does it matter?" Bryan climbed back into bed and tried to drift off to sleep again. "You know it's not a good idea for you to get mixed up in this. And you know Molly doesn't want to see you because she is trying to protect you and your relationship."

Stu chuckled. "She doesn't have to worry about that anymore. I ended it with Tori."

Bryan sat back up in bed. "Seriously?" Stu nodded. "Dude, smart move. She was out of control tonight. I don't pretend to know anything about your relationship, but man, I've never seen anyone like that. She really wanted to hurt Molly."

"Well, she did," he said.

"You did the right thing. Is she going to be at Smackdown tomorrow?"

"I have no idea," Stu said. "I waited for her to come back to the room. When she did, she was drunk. So, I just told her it was over and left."

Bryan stared at him for a moment. "It's over? Just like that?"

"Well, that part of it anyway," Stu said.

"Dude, she almost ripped someones head off tonight for you. You don't think she's going to fight for you?"

Stu sighed. "If she's smart she won't."

Bryan's jaw dropped. "Again, she almost ripped someones head off tonight." He spoke deliberately for emphasis.

Stu grabbed his toiletry kit and walked towards the bathroom. "Valid point. I don't really want to think about any of this right now."

* * *

><p>Molly woke up around 6am with a splitting headache. She sat up on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath to calm her stomach. She placed her hand on the night table and felt around for the other two aspirin in the dark. Stephen was fast asleep on the other bed. While reaching for her water glass she knocked it down. "Fuck," she whispered.<p>

Stephen stirred and slowly opened his eyes. "Morning, lass. How are yeh feeling this mornin'?"

"My head is killing me. I'm sure my eyes look worse today."

Stephen couldn't bear to tell her the truth. It looked like the entire upper half of her face was swollen and bruised. "Naw, they look better, actually."

"Real convincing." She could tell he was lying through his teeth.

He bent down and picked up the cup she had knocked over. "Let me get you some water." He took another glance at her. "I'll run out and get you some ice too."

"I'll go get ready," she said. "We need to get on the road soon if we want to get some gym time in Toledo before the show.."

Stephen lraised an eyebrow. He couldn't believe she was contemplating doing anything physical. "You're not going to the gym, lass. Are you insane?"

Molly furrowed her brow. "No, I'm determined."

"Were you medically cleared last night? No, you weren't. So, I suggest you sit there and let me wait on you hand and foot until you're allowed to do anything for yourself. So stop acting so goddamn tough all the time and actually let yourself be upset about this!" He picked his cell phone up off the nightstand. "Huh..."

"What?" Molly asked. "Is the rumor mill afloat?"

Stephen shook his head. "No, Stu just texted me late last night to see how you were doing."

Intruiged, Molly's ears perked up. "Well, what did he say?"

"He's just worried about you."

Molly laughed. "You're hiding something. That's not all he said."

"And he broke up with Tori," Stephen said. "But I didn't say anything to you. He asked me not to."

Guilt came crashing down on Molly like a ton of bricks. Stephen's words hadn't resonated with her. "It's all my fault," she said.

"Are you serious, lass?" Molly nodded. "It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong so stop taking all the blame. Stu is a grown man. He can make his own decisions."

"But if I hadn't..."

"But what if you hadn't what, Molly? Joined the WWE? Taken Stu up on his generous offer? Allowed yourself to be rewarded for your hard work?" he said. He sat down next to her on the bed. "Stop blaming yourself." A tear rolled down Molly's cheek. "I think you may still be concussed," he said smiling. He gently ran his thumb under her eye to wipe away the tear, being careful not to press on the tender bruise. "You're a smart girl. Handle this professionally and good things will come to you."

* * *

><p>Molly sat in front of Paul Levesque backstage. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was racing. She had no idea what to expect from this meeting. Paul had a hard time looking directly at Molly. Her bruises were horrifying. "I wanted to meet with you to discuss what happened last night during the Battle Royal with Victoria," Paul Levesque began. Molly nodded. "So, would you like to start?"<p>

"I don't really know what to say," she said. "I think there was just some confusion in the..."

Paul put his hand up. "I'm going to stop you right there. It was blatantly obvious to all of us that what happened was not an accident. Now, we have yet to meet with Tori to discuss things, but we're seriously considering her termination over this."

"It's that serious?" Molly asked, deadpan. Paul nodded. "I don't think that's necessary. Tori doesn't have the same level of experience that other girls have, myself included. I'm not trying to say that I am better, but I've wrestled more shows and, no offense to you, my matches have also gone on for longer than 30 seconds. I think Tori is still green and she is going to make mistakes from time to time. She did the same thing to Beth a few months back and gave her a nasty shiner. Accidents happen."

Paul pointed at her eyes and her broken nose. "So, you're not mad about this?"

"No, I'm not," Molly lied. This was as much for her career as it was for Tori's. She didn't want to seem difficult and she certainly didn't want to create more problems with Tori.

There was a knock on the door. "You wanted to see me, Paul?" Tori stood at the door. A set of bright blue pumps on her feet and a black strapless dress hugging her curves.

Paul's tone became more serious. "Please, have a seat. I was just discussing the Battle Royal with Molly." Tori went to defend herself. "Now, before you start. I just wanted to say that we are still considering terminating your contract with the WWE over your actions last night." Tori again opened her mouth to speak. "Wait. But after talking with Molly, she has informed me that it was an accident. She reminded me that you did the same thing, accidentally, to Beth a few months ago. She also doesn't think that you should be terminated for what happened and that it was all a big miscommunication." Paul looked over at Molly. "Do I have that right, Molly?"

"Yes," she replied looking over at Tori.

"Molly raised another good point. I think you could benefit from more training and spending some time down at FCW."

Tori scoffed. "How long?"

Paul was getting annoyed. "As long as it takes, Ms. Crawford." He spoke slowly. "Now, you can either go to FCW or you can walk out that door and never come back."

"Actually," Molly interrupted. "I was thinking that Tori and I could work a program together."

"What?" Tori and Paul said almost simultaneously.

"The crowd loved what we did. They were really cheering for her after she slapped me. Obviously, she has the ability to connect with the audience. Why not have us work together?" She looked over at Tori. "I'm willing to put her over." Tori's mouth dropped open. "I think that this type of rivalry, outside of the title, could help rejuvinate the division."

Paul looked between the two women. "I'll think about it and get back to you next week. Molly, you should take next week off. Tori, I'm going to ask that you go to FCW tomorrow at 8am and train with Bill. Any questions? Good." He didn't even give the girls a chance to respond.

"Thank you," Molly stood up and exited the office with Tori following close behind.

"Oh, and Ms. Crawford?" Tori turned back to Paul. "If you ever pull something like that out there again I will fire you in a heartbeat." Tori swallowed hard, nodded, and exited the office. She noticed Molly was a few steps ahead of her.

"Molly!" Molly stopped walking and turned back towards Tori. "I just wanted to say 'thank you,'" she said.

"Go fuck yourself, Victoria." Molly turned and kept walking.

"What?" Tori asked confused.

Molly walked back over towards her. "I told you to go fuck yourself, Victoria. You are a dangerous and terrible person. Do you see what you did to me last night?" She pointed at her face. 'And all over what? Over Stu? Over Christina?" Tori was silent. "I'm only doing this because it's good for the division. I'm willing to put you over to stop you from doing this to others. I wasn't handed this opportunity like you were. I worked really hard to get where I am and I am not going to give up or get fired or let some model with a huge jealous streak keep me from being successful."

"Excuse me, some model?" Tori asked.

"Yes, Tori, some model." Molly threw her hands up in the air. "I'm so sick of this," she stated. "You have done nothing but treated me horribly since I started here. And I have done nothing wrong but be nice to you and try to be successful."

Stu and Stephen were walking down the hallway together towards the locker room when they stopped to witness the conversation from a safe distance behind some equipment.

"I'm sorry that Christina thinks that she deserves more opportunities than me, but why I was given them is out of my control. I'm sorry that your boyfriend offered me a place to sleep for a few weeks as a way to pay it forward." She took a step closer to Tori. "But what I am not sorry about is how absolutely awful you are going to feel when the program we work together elevates me in the division and leaves you behind."

A few more of the Divas and Superstars rallied around the two girls. Tori rolled her eyes. "Whatever..."

Molly smiled. "You can 'whatever' me all you want, Tori, I don't give a shit, but listen closely. If you ever try to intentionally hurt me again, I won't be so forgiving." Molly turned away and walked through the circle of superstars that had formed around them.

Tori stood in the center, embarrassed about all the attention. Everyone just stared, no one said anything. "What are you looking at?" she screamed as her heels stomped on the cement floor. One by one each superstar walked away from the circle. TJ shook his head in her Tori's direction while he wondered what happened the the sweet girl he had trained with at FCW. Celeste bit her lip in contemplation about walking away from her former friend. And both Anthony and Cody sighed deeply as they turned to walk away. Tori approached the one person that was left standing, Dalip Rana, or The Great Khali as he was known to the WWE Universe, but even he just shrugged and walked away.

"Holy shit," Stephen said. "I didn't know she had it in her."

Stu smiled. "I did..."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for all the great feedback! Please let me know how you feel about this story. I know there is a ton of you reading it and I am so unbelievably grateful that you're invested in this story :) I love this chapter and I am curious to know what you all think. You're the best! <strong>


	11. Chapter 11

The cab ride from the airport back to Stu's home had cost Molly about $35, but was worth every penny. After her confrontation with Tori, she asked Stephen to help her reschedule her flight to an earlier one and immediately left for the Toledo airport. Her plan was to pack up her belongings, including Barry, drop him off at the new apartment, and buy a bed to sleep in. Actually, she didn't even care about the bed, she just didn't want to be home when Stu returned. Staying at Stu's home was more trouble than it was worth and she knew the apartment she was moving in to was already vacant. It was time to move.

She could hear Barry's meows through the front door as she approached. Apparently, she hadn't left enough dry food out for him over the past two days. She dropped her luggage in the hallway and grabbed a can of wet food, dropping its contents in the bowl and creating a happy kitty in the process. "Eat fast, because we're outta here," she said.

Opening up the freezer, Molly pulled out the same pint of Ben and Jerry's that Stu had grabbed from her a few nights previous. She frantically ripped off the cover and shoved a spoon-full of delicious CInnamon Buns into her mouth, leaning back against the counter. She pressed the container to her right eye, letting the cool soothe in to her bruise while she chuckled at the thought of the look on the cab driver's face when he picked her up. Pure terror. Molly knew that none of them would stop for her if they could see her face, so she made sure to stand with the hood of her sweatshirt up, even if it was 75 degrees outside. She opened up her purse and took two more aspirin for her headache that just wouldn't quit. It was then she realized it was far too late for her to pick up her apartment keys and decided to turn in for the evening. If she got an early jump on the day she could still be out of the apartment before Stu came home.

She sprawled out on the living room sofa and picked up the instructions for the television Stu had reluctantly wrote out for her. She smiled when she managed to get everything working correctly on the first try. Barry curled up next to her on the sofa while Molly scooped the last few bites of ice cream into her mouth and watched a rerun of _30 Rock_. Before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep on the couch, exhausted from the days activities.

* * *

><p>Stu was relieved to see Molly's Honda in the driveway when he arrived home from the airport. He had also rescheduled his flight home to be back in Tampa early. He didn't feel like dealing with the crowds at the airport in the morning and just wanted to get where Molly was. He knew he owed her an explanation. It was 6am and the first signs of sunlight were just starting to creep through the hazy Tampa sky. Stu knew he hadn't left the television on when he left for the airport the other day, so he was pleased to see that Molly had figured out how to turn it on herself, just not how to turn the system off. He walked over to the coffee table to pick up the remote and saw her sleeping soundly on the sofa, Barry curled into her hip.<p>

The sight of her face made him uneasy. She looked far worse than he had imagined. Aside from the bruises, she looked defeated and worried. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, whisps framing her swollen face. A black hooded sweatshirt on top of a hot pink Wonder Woman t-shirt and dark jeans covered her. It wasn't cold in Tampa, but he could tell by the way she rested that she felt cold, alone, and embarrassed. Her clothing was her only means of protection.

The click that the television made when it turned off stirred Molly awake. "Did I scare you?" Stu asked.

"Not this time," she said. "Did I scare you? With my face?" she asked, groggy.

He didn't laugh this time. "It looks really bad, Molly."

"I know," she said quietly as she sat up creating space on the couch for Stu.

He sat down next to her. She could see the sympathy in his light green eyes. "I am very sorry," he began. And that was all it took, Molly's eyes filled up with tears as she fought to keep her lips from trembling. She used the sleeve of her sweatshirt to shield her face. "Molly, I know that nothing I can say to you is going to take back anything that happened. I'm glad Ste took good care of you." She nodded. He had been absolutely wonderful to her in Stu's absence. "I never imagined that anything like this would happen. And I know I said I would protect you."

Molly cleared her throat. "It's not your fault, Stu. I should go up to my room and lay down." She didn't want to discuss this anymore.

"Stay here and rest. I'll make you something to eat and we'll find something to watch on Netflix." His offer was genuine. Stu knew this was his chance to make things right between them. He wanted to help her; he owed her at least this much.

She shook her head. "Look, I know that at some point today Tori is going to show up at your doorstep like some some raged lunatic and try to get back together with you. I shouldn't be a factor in your relationship so if you want to be with her, be with her. Don't let me being here stop you from what you want." She started to walk away.

"It's not what I want," he said. He figured that was enough to get her to come back and engage, but it wasn't. He heard her walk up the first few steps to her room. "That was quite a speech you gave her yesterday." He smiled knowing that would get her attention.

She peeped her head from around the corner of the stairs. "You heard all that?" she asked.

"Stephen and I were hiding. I sincerely doubt she'll be coming over here anytime soon," he said. "I'm proud of you. I just wish you hadn't needed to defend yourself."

"Thank you," she squeaked out. Her head hurt from the pain and all the processing she had had to do over the last 36 hours.

"Get some rest. Let me know if you need anything. I'll make you something to eat later on," he said smiling. "Oh, and Molly?" She turned back. "There would've been something else eventually if this all hadn't happened. And I'm really glad you're here."

She nodded before heading upstairs. Barry was curled up in a ball laying on top of her comforter. Her bed never looked so warm and inviting. She climbed in and curled herself in a ball around Barry. He purred at the contact. She carefully wiped the tears that had fallen from her swollen eyes and held the ice pack in place. "What have I gotten myself into?" she whispered at her cat, who just purred louder at the sound of her voice. She closed her eyes and drifted off to a sound sleep.

* * *

><p>"Faster, Tori! I said 'Faster!' You can do better than this!" Bill DeMott yelled from across the gym. Tori was hunched over, pushing a football sled across the gym. Her arms, thighs, and legs were killing her from all the physical tasks FCW trainer Bill DeMott was throwing her way. She collapsed on the ground in tears. "Get up!" Tori's cries turning to wails. Bill rolled his eyes. "Alright, come on. That's enough for the day."<p>

"I'm sorry," she managed to squeak about between sobs.

"I don't need to tell you that you're on thin ice, do I?" He crossed his arms in front of him. Bill DeMott was one of the most intimidating guys to ever set foot inside a WWE ring. His presence was powerful; his words meant something. "Personally, I'm ashamed of what you did to Molly Grimes the other night. That kind of behavior and that sloppy work makes this company look bad. She was throwing punches and you were acting like nothing was happening! Do you know how bad that looks to everyone? You need to figure out if you really want to be here because you love the business or if you want to be here for the fame and glory. I'll tell you right now, sweetheart, you've got a long way to go in this business and you're not making any friends. A lot of people lost a lot of respect for you the other day, myself included." She stared up at him with puppy dog eyes hoping to gain some sympathy, but it was lost on him. "Now, get yourself cleaned up and I'll see you back here at 7:30am. Tomorrow is going to be much, much worse, Victoria."

* * *

><p>"Oh come on," Stu said out loud to no one as he jockeyed the xbox controller with his thumb. He lived for his moments of solitude, which had become rarer these days. His game was interrupted by the doorbell, but he took his time answering. He expected to see Tori when he opened the door, but what version of her, he wasn't sure.<p>

"Hey fella." Stephen smiled at his friend, a container of soup from Panera Bread in his hands. "I wanted to check up on Molly, bring her something to eat since I know you don't cook."

"For your information, I was just about to order us a pizza, you wanker. Come on in. She's asleep. I'll go get her," Stu said as he headed toward the stairs.

"You don't have to wake her up," Stephen said. "Just tell her I swung by."

"The doorbell woke me up," Molly said as she came around the corner. "Hi Stephen."

"Sorry, lass," he apologized. "I just wanted to check up on you, bring you some soup." He handed her the container.

"That's sweet. Thank you," she said. Molly was genuinely touched by the gesture. "I don't want to be rude, but I am starving, do you mind?" Both gentlemen shook their heads.

"How are you feeling?" Stephen asked.

"Like a million dollars," she said. "I think some of the swelling has gone down, but I can't really tell." Neither wanted to speak up to tell her it actually looked worse.

"Let me get you some ice," Stu offered. He pointed to the living room. "Go sit on the couch."

"Hey, are you going to order that pizza?" Stephen asked as he followed behind Molly. Stu mouthed "wanker" slowly at Stephen.

Stu vacated the room to make the call. Stephen glanced over his shoulder and waited until Stu was out of earshot. "I thought you were moving out?"

"I had planned on it," Molly began. "But Stu was so sympathetic and apologetic. I kinda feel bad for him right now. She may have beat the shit out of me, but she embarrassed him." Stephen nodded. "And, besides. I kinda figure that as long as I'm here, she may not stop by and bug him."

"His relationship is not your problem, Molly." Stephen's tone was serious.

"I know. The real reason I haven't left is that I fell asleep on the couch. I'm too exhausted to do anything right now," she said.

"If you need my help moving, I'm more than happy to help," he offered. "Even if you want to stay at my place tonight." Barry curled up around Stephen's legs. "He can come too," he said smiling as he reached down to stroke under Barry's chin. "Think about it?"

Molly nodded. "I...I just don't want to build up a reputation," she said. "But that is a very generous offer. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he said.

* * *

><p>Molly sat on the couch between Stephen and Stu, watching John Carter. When Stephen had made the recommendation, she didn't speak up and say how much these types of movies bored her. Despite their gruff demeanor, both men loved nerdy action films. Molly couldn't follow the plot as she was drifting in and out of consciousness. Her head wavered to the left, resting on Stu's shoulder briefly before she shifted and her swollen eye made contact with his shoulder. "Sorry," she mouthed sleepily. Her eyes slowly drifted shut again and her head slumped on to Stephen's shoulder. He tensed up, worried about how to react. Stephen glanced over at Stu seeking approval. Stu rolled his eyes and his friend and nodded. Worried he would wake her, Stephen moved his arm slowly.<p>

"Must be the pizza," Stu said laughing as the sound of the doorbell woke Molly and ended the romantic moment.

"I'll grab it," Molly said as she stretched. She was desperate to get away from the movie.. "You guys have been waiting on me hand and foot." She opened the door to see Victoria Crawford, clad in her finest _I'm sorry _attire. A white blousey tank top and black leggings gave the illusion that she was angelic, but Molly knew the truth. Molly stood stunned in silence. Tori's eyes were sympathetic as she stared into the face of the damage she had caused. The two women stared at each other momentarily, both unsure of what to say. "Stu?" Molly yelled behind her without taking her eyes off Tori. "It's for you."

Stu stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Tori in his doorway. Molly backed away while mentioning she would go stay at Stephen's house. "That's unnecessary, Molly." He turned his attention to Tori. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Tori smiled hoping to ease the tension of their conversation, but Stu remained guarded. "I came to see you," she said. "I think we should talk about..."

"There's nothing to talk about," he interrupted. "I'd like you to leave."

"I have some things here. Can I get them, please?" she asked. There was a lot of history between Stu and Tori. He had pined after her for years dating back to their days at OVW together. He was 26, she was 21. They had been instructed by officials not to date either Tori or Barbie Blank. This hadn't stopped men from asking out Barbie or stopped Barbie from accepting offers. Tori was different. She didn't seek out the male attention, but instead focused on learning how to wrestle. She had been given an amazing opportunity that she never once took for granted. Stu admired that about her. As she stood before him, he thought back to the type of person she used to be; the person that he fell in love with. A firm hand on his shoulder shook him back from his memory.

"I'm gonna take Molly back to mine so she can get some rest," Stephen said. He glanced at Tori. "Good luck," he said, not taking his eyes off of her.

Stu bit the inside of his cheek. "Come on in."

* * *

><p><strong>Wow! Thank you all for the amazingly positive reviews! I am so happy you're enjoying this story. It's been very fun to write and has gone in a completely different direction from what I intended. I really love reading what you all think - your feedback is very helpful and greatly appreciated! Have a wonderful day :) <strong>


	12. Chapter 12

"I promise I'll only be a few minutes," she said walking towards the stairs. "One of the shirts I left here is Tina's and she wants it for tonight."

He scoffed at her comment. "That's a lie," he said. "You already told me the real reason why you're here."

Tears formed in the corners of Tori's eyes. "I came over here to let you know how sorry I am," she began. "This whole Molly thing has really turned me into someone I hate. It's not who I am and you know that." Tori stopped when she didn't get a response from the Englishman. Not a nod, or a blink, or a change in movement.

After what felt like a long pause, he finally spoke. "I'm not really sure what you're expecting me to say to you," he said.

"I'm not expecting anything," she said, her inpatient nature already getting the best of her.

"No, you are or you would not have come over here." He was right. "You see, I don't think you've realized what you've done."

"...I have," she interrupted.

Stu leaned back against the wall, defeated. "If you're not willing to listen, then I literally have nothing to say to you." He walked over to the front door to let her out. "The thing that kills me about this is that you are so talented and you were headed to the top of the division. All that complaining about the other girls getting pushes over you. You were finally starting to come in to your own and feel comfortable. And you've pissed it all away because of jealousy. You have absolutely nothing to be jealous about."

"Oh, really?" Tori didn't budge. "Tell me my suspicions are off and nothing happened between you and Molly."

"It doesn't matter, does it?" he said. He tapped his fingers along the banister of the stairway out of nervousness.

Tori was aghast. "I don't...I don't understand what you're saying, Stu."

"You don't remember? We're over." He walked back towards the living room. "Please grab your belongings and leave my house," he shouted back at her.

"..but..." she said.

"But what? You thought you could just come over here and give a half assed apology? You have quite possibly ruined a girls career!"

Tori erupted in laughter. "Just the opposite. We'll be working a program together when she's feeling better," she said. The smarminess of her words didn't sit well with Stu. "And, she's going to put me over."

Stu couldn't believe his ears. There was no way WWE management would reward Tori for her outlandish and dangerous behavior. "Oh yeah? Whose idea was this?"

"Molly's," Tori walked towards the front door. Stu was stunned. She hadn't mentioned any of this to him, but why would she not knowing where his loyalties ultimately lay.

He snapped back to reality at the sound of his front door opening. "Hey! Don't you need your shirt?"

Tori smiled. "There was no shirt. Toodles, Stuart."

* * *

><p>Stephen placed Molly's suitcase on the floor of his Tampa home. "Make yourself at home. I'll get you some ice."<p>

"That's all people do," she said laughing. "I know my face looks bad, but everytime someone brings me ice I'm reminded of how hideous I look."

Stephen smiled. "You don't look hideous, lass. I promise ya. This is more of a preventative measure."

"Is that so?" She took the ice pack and pressed it against her cheek. She couldn't deny that the coolness of the pack was a relief. "Smart ass." She opened the pizza box on the counter. "Thank god you intercepted the pizza delivery boy on our way out. I've never seen someone so confused in my life. 'Hey, fella. Why doncha give us that pizza you got there?'" She cracked up laughing. "I'm sorry. That was the worst impression of anyone ever."

Her laugh was infectious; Stephen couldn't resist joining in. "Do you really think I sound like that?" He leaned against the counter next to her.

"I can't do accents," she said as she put a piece of pizza onto a plate and handed it to the Irishman.

"Apparently." Stephen took note of Molly's appearance. She had stopped laughing with him. "What's wrong, lass?"

"I'm not going to be with the company long am I?" she asked. In all honesty, Stephen couldn't answer her. He had seen her verbal altercation with Tori and, along with the rest of the locker room, felt as though it was well deserved. "I mean..." She pointed at her face. "This kind of drama doesn't happen often, does it?"

He followed her over to the couch. "No, it doesn't. What happened in your meeting with Paul?"

"I explained that what happened with Tori was an accident," she said. Stephen was shocked. 'What?" She felt the need to defend herself. "I told Paul that I wanted to work a program with her. That the reaction we got from the crowd meant something." If there was any doubt in anyone's mind that Molly wasn't serious about her career, this statement would have proved them wrong. "It's my chance to capitalize on something and make a name for myself. Do you honestly think two black eyes and a broken nose is going to stop me?"

He shook his head. "You're a tough girl, Molly Grimes." Molly shrugged.

Molly laughed. "I'm not that tough. You've already seen me cry."

"That may be, but I wouldn't want to step in the ring with you." He took a sip from his water bottle.

"You're laying it on a little thick there, Ste," she joked. "Besides, you don't want to get in the ring with me because you've only seen me get almost murdered. That's not really going to elevate your career."

"Well, it's apparently going to elevate yours. That was a smart move agreeing to put Tori over. It shows you're a company player."

Molly swallowed her bite of pizza. "Why, thank you," she smiled. She had to admit to herself that she was pretty proud of the level of maturity she was displaying.

"But, I can't help but think there's something else going on."

She immediately became defensive. "I'm going to work my ass off in that ring. If she looks good, fine. I'm going to look better. If she injures me again, even better, she'll get fired. I just want the Diva's division to mean something again," she said. Stephen could tell how passionately she felt about this. "I know for some of the girls this is just a stepping stone for their careers, but this is what I've been working towards for the past few years. I want to wrestle. I want a Wrestlemania moment. I want to be in the Royal Rumble."

"That's a lot of wants," he said. Stephen had to admit to himself that he was absolutely captivated by her determination although he found it to be a little silly. "You know only three women have actually competed in the Royal Rumble and they didn't last too long."

"Yeah, and two were in the last three years. They realized people love surprises at the Rumble." He listened intently, but his comments were frustrating her. "Why are you trying to put me down?"

"I just don't..."

"I was talking with some of the girls backstage," she interrupted. "You know, Beth and Nattie?" He nodded. Of course he knew who they were. "Well, they're just as frustrated. I've been handed a rare opportunity here," she said. Her excitement was infectious. "We can build a natural program together and get people interested in the Diva's again."

"And Tori?" he asked skeptically.

Molly shrugged. "It's not going to matter. She's not a great worker," she said. Stephen smiled at seeing her smile. This was the first time since Tori's attack that she was genuinely happy and feeling positive. "I really feel like this is the start of something."

"I want this for you, lass. I really do," Stephen said.

She sensed his skepticism. "But?"

Stephen sighed. "You know they don't really put much into the diva's division. I just don't want you to get your hopes up." His words immediately defeated Molly. She put the plate down on the coffee table and walked over to her suitcase. "Molly? Come back, please."

"So, what am I doing this all for?" Molly threw her hands up in the air. Stephen licked his lips. He wish he could take those words back, but instead he was paralyzed. He didn't have an answer for her. "I'm going to bed. Thank you for letting me sleep here tonight."

"Molly," he managed to squeak out. His words had clearly aggravated her. He walked over to her slowly. "This isn't supposed to be easy." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "But if anyone can do this, you can." He winked at her. "Goodnight, lass."

* * *

><p><strong>You all are so wonderful! Thanks for the awesome feedback on this story. It's been so much fun to write. I promise much more action in the next chapter (and a much longer chapter too!). Please let me know your thoughts. I love reading your feedback! Hope you enjoyed :) <strong>


	13. Chapter 13

A light knock on the guest room door awoke Molly from her slumber. Her eyes fluttered open to see Stephen standing in her doorway, a cup of coffee in his hand. He was wearing grey athletic shirts and loose black t-shirt. "Morning, lass," he said. "I brought yeh a peace offering. I feel like I came down on yeh a little bit too much last night." He placed the coffee next to her on the bedside table, gave a soft wave, and walked back towards the door.

"Thank you." She sat up and wiped the sleep gently from her eyes.

"Your face looks much better today," he remarked. The swelling had subsided and the bruises were starting to fade to a lighter shade of purple. There were almost no traces of her broken nose.

"It does? I slept with my feet a little elevated last night to keep the blood flowing."

"Well, you can keep 'em up all day. I have nothing to do today and can wait on yeh hand and foot."

"That's sweet, but I should get back to Stu's and start repacking everything. I hired movers to come tomorrow morning. I just don't feel like doing it or bothering anyone."

"I told yeh I would help yeh," he said.

"No, no, I know that, but be honest, do you really want to help me move? It's such a pain the ass."

"I said I would, I didn't say that I wanted to," he joked.

"Thank you for being so wonderful to me," she said. She patted an empty spot on the bed inviting him to sit down next to her. Cautiously, he obliged. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You really have come to my aid in every way. I can't tell you how much that means to me." Embarrassed, he stared at the floor. "Even if you were a dick to me last night." She sat up and took a sip of coffee. "Okay, let me get dressed and then we'll go. I'm sure Barry is going nuts." Molly's phone vibrated with a text message from Stu. _I fed that cat of yours._She laughed as she read it outloud to Stephen.

"Stu's not a very patient man." He fluffed up some pillows at the foot of the bed. "You can keep your feet up for a bit then."

"I really should get going."

"And what if I hold ya hostage?" he asked.

"Why would you do that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Molly put her suitcase up on the bed and unzipped it, Stephen grabbed her wrist just as she was about to reach in and pull some clothes out. "Did you ever think of what might be waiting for you there this morning?" She hadn't. Stephen was right in that there was a chance Stu and Tori had worked things out and she would still be there this morning. "Do you really want to go home to that?"

Molly shook her head. "It doesn't matter," she said. Stephen gave her a knowing glance. She shrugged. "It doesn't. If he wants to be with Tori, who am I to disagree?"

"It's obvious you have feelings for him," Stephen said. Molly laughed. "Come on, lass," he said. "Look me in the eye and tell me that you don't have feelings for him." Molly smiled and leaned down in front of Stephen, pressing her hands on his thighs to balance herself. She leaned forward slowly and pressed her lips softly against his.

"I don't have feelings for him," she said against his lips as she pulled away. He grabbed the back of her head and brought her in for another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate. His hands tangled through the messy bun as hers rested against his chest. His lips made a slow descent down her neck; his tongue sliding out to touch her bare skin. His hands grasped the back of her thighs and coaxed her to sit on his lap. Stephen leaned back, taking her with him. Sitting back, she removed her shirt.

"I thought you didn't want to have a reputation." He smiled up at her. She pulled the elastic out of her hair. Any resemblance of a bun had been long gone after Stephen's fingers worked their way through. Her brown hair fell in soft curls around her face creating shadows that masked her bruises.

"Shut up," she whispered lowering her face down to his chest. She pressed kisses down his torso, sliding her body down to the floor. Licking her lips, she slowly began to pull down the elastic waist of his shorts down applying kisses to where the band had laid.

"Molly?" he asked breathlessly.

"Mmhmm," she responded, focused completely on Stephen.

"I think yeh should stop," he said. She looked up at him confused, a wave of embarrassment flushed over her face. He ran a hand down his face trying to hide the regret for the words he just spoke. "Molly?" He heard the bedroom door open and shut quickly followed by the sound of the bathroom door closing and the shower running. He smacked the pillow next to him. "Fuck!" He jumped up and barged into the bathroom. "Molly? Listen, I'm sorry."

"Go away!" she yelled from behind the shower curtain.

"I just wanted to apologize," he said.

"You and everyone else! Now leave me alone!" He could hear the sadness and frustration in her voice. "Please!"

"Look, I like you. I really do," he continued.

"Ste! Leave now!" He opened the bathroom door and shut it without exiting. "I know you're still in here."

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me," he said.

"Jesus Christ, okay fine." And with that Molly turned the water off and grabbed the towel that rested over the curtain. When she pulled back the curtain, the towel had been tied tightly around her. "You want to talk? Okay, let's talk. I'm repeating a lot of this for emphasis. I moved to Tampa from Calgary by myself. I am staying with a very nice person who's girlfriend did this to me." She pointed angrily at her face. "That very nice person kissed me and I felt horrible about it. Then, his best friend, that's you, is absolutely amazing and wonderful. He's so kind and caring and understanding. He's really there for me in my time of need and doesn't judge me when I have a fucking break down. And he also takes me in because I let him. Even though he has been flirting with me and making passes at me and I don't think it's a good idea, but then I let my guard down and I think 'Hey, I really like this person and he seems to really care for me a lot in the short time we have known each other. That's pretty cool' And then what happens?" She stared at him momentarily. "He tells me to stop." She swallowed hard. "So, I stopped."

Stephen stood up and took a step towards her. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I am hurt, Stephen! Just a little bit more now." He turned away from her and placed his hands on the sink. "I'm going to get dressed and then I'd like you to take me home, please, or I can call a cab."

"I'll drive yeh home," he whispered.

* * *

><p>Barry came running towards the front door at the sound of Molly's keys jingling in the lock. "Oh, hello." She bent down and rubbed the top of his head with her knuckles. Maybe she had lied to Stephen, she thought. She didn't move to Tampa from Calgary alone. She had Barry. The house had the same eerie quietness that her ride home with Stephen had. They hadn't spoken. Stephen focused specifically on driving. Molly thought about breaking the silence multiple times, but what was left to say? She'd probably already said too much. The sound of grunting snapped her back to reality. Thankfully, these weren't the type of grunts that would indicate Tori was there, but rather indicated Stu working out his aggression.<p>

She opened the garage door and saw him hitting the heavy bag, bare knuckled of course. His boxing gloves were thrown on the ground. The sweat was soaked completely through his baggy grey shirt. Clearly, he'd been out there for a while.

"Rough night?" she asked.

He continued punching the bag, keeping his back towards Molly. "You could say that," he said.

"I'm sorry for all this," she said. She was throwing that word around an awful lot lately.

He turned around. "What I want to know is...why are you going to face her in a match?" Stu felt as though he had every right to be pissed.

His casualness took her aback. "Nothing is definite," she said. He rolled his eyes. "But, yes, during our meeting with Paul I suggested that her and I work a program."

"Why?" He asked, hitting the bag hard.

"Did you hear the way the crowd reacted when she slapped me? They hate me!" she said. "A reaction is the most important thing that you can get out of the audience. You know that better than anyone," she said.

"I'm just not comfortable with this," he said. "I don't trust her." He threw three quick punches at the bag.

Molly laughed. "I don't trust her either, but what are my options? Cry about getting my face bashed in or use it to my advantage?"It was in that moment that Stu realized what a great mind for the business Molly had. No wonder Vince and Paul wanted to bring her up to the main roster from FCW so quickly. It made sense that she could do anything Steve Keirn wanted to her to do. Molly was right that first night at FCW. She didn't need Stu's help to be successful. She didn't need anyone's help. "And before you say anything else, I'm going to put her over."

Stu walked over to the bench and picked up a towel, wiping the sweat off of his face. "I hope you get whatever it is that you want out of this." It was a vague comment, but it was much better than anything Stephen had given her to work with the night before.

"I want the same thing out of this that you do," she said. "It's all moot right now because no one knows what's going on in Paul Levesque's mind except Paul Levesque. Enjoy your workout. I have to pack. The movers are coming tomorrow."

"So, then that's it?" he asked.

"Yup. That's it," she said, shrugging. A small wave of disappointment washed over Stu's face. Molly could tell that with the collapse of his relationship he needed her right now more than ever. "This was only supposed to be temporary."

He nodded. "Still it'll be weird not having you around." Barry rubbed his face on the entry door to the garage. "I'll miss that little critter as well."

"Well, you can always come and visit. If you don't have plans later, I can cook us dinner since it's my last night here." She walked over towards him and wrapped him in a tight embrace. "I really can't thank you enough for everything you've done and everything you've put up with."

"It's been my pleasure," he said.

"I don't believe that for a second." She winked at him as she left the garage. Stu resumed his heavy bag punching. The whole time he was fixated on Stephen, who he believed was, yet again, trying to steal away another girl he was falling for.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you all so much! I'm so happy with how this story has been going and the interesting twists and turns that it has taken. And don't worry, you have not see the last of Sheamolly (Thanks to ShannonTheAwesomeOne for that!). I promise! Also, endless thanks to xj0j0x for reading and reviewing every single chapter. I appreciate your feedback so much! Um, and yeah, I also brought back Ste's accent. Whoops! <strong>


	14. Chapter 14

After performing to two sold out house crowds in southeastern Texas, Raw was scheduled to be aired live from Dallas. If there was any one activity that made Molly feel like an adult, it was picking up a rental car at the airport to get to the show. Aside from Stu and Stephen, Molly didn't have any other connections within the roster and made the active choice to travel alone rather than reach out to people.

While she felt that most of the other talent was on her side, she could never be too sure. Tori's ruthlessness knew no bounds. It was entirely possible that she could have done a lot of damage to Molly's reputation through FCW and at the previous Smackdown taping. Molly grew with embarrassment at the thought of how she had humiliated Tori in front of everyone backstage. Although when Tori showed up at Stu's home there seemed to be no hard feelings between them which gave her even less of a reason to start to trust her.

Stu remained tight lipped about his conversation with Tori during Molly's last dinner in his home. She didn't pry either. Anything that happened between Stu and Tori was none of Molly's business. Just like anything that had happened between Molly and Stephen was none of Stu's.

Molly's mind continued to race at the thought of Stephen. Yet another thing she had to be embarrassed about. She never should have made such a bold move so soon. Perhaps she had mistaken his hospitality for romantic interest. Her anxiety grew even more at the thought that the he just told her he liked her to protect her feelings. And what he had meant by "I don't want you to get hurt." Those were all things guys had told her in the past to express their disinterest. All these negative thoughts were consuming her and she needed to let them go.

Since leaving Stu's apartment, she had spent the last few days alone. A much less complicated television system was her companion. With Stu and Stephen out working the house show circuit she was free to do whatever she wished without the two of them constantly offering her ice packs. A few trips to IKEA was all it took to furnish her new apartment to her liking. Barry had settled in nicely as well and had thankfully stayed away from clawing Molly's new furniture. Despite her best efforts to dress the place up, it still didn't feel like home. She missed having someone around to talk to and joke around with, but she knew in her heart that it was time to move out on her own.

Molly rounded the corner to the ladies locker room and ran in to both Stu and Ste on their way to catering. She gasped. "I'm so sorry," she said. She looked between the two men. They both were at least a foot or more taller than her. Her words caught in her throat. "How are you guys?"

"Good," Stu smiled. "Welcome back."

Stephen folded his arms across his chest. "A little late there aren't ya lass?" Stephen asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm cutting it close. My meeting with Paul is in like five minutes." She started running towards the ladies locker room. "I'll see you guys shortly."

"Your face looks much better, Molly. Good to see you," Nattie remarked as she walked by.

"Good to see you, too!" she called out after her as her fast walk turned into a full on run.

Stephen turned his attention back to Stu as they continued on their way to catering. "I saw you had a meeting of your own earlier today, fella. They're not coming down on you too for this entire debacle are they?"

Stu sighed. "Not yet anyway," he said. "I think that is all going to die down soon. I know Molly doesn't want attention drawn to the situation anymore. She'd just like to move on from it all."

"I think yer dodging the question. What was the meeting about?"

Stu patted Stephen on the shoulder. "Stop your whining. You'll find out soon enough, mate."

* * *

><p>When Molly arrived at Paul's office, Tori was already seated in one of the two chairs facing his desk and his imposing figure. "Sorry, I'm late," she sputtered.<p>

Paul glanced at his watch. "Actually, you're right on time. It's nice to see you, Molly. I see your face is healing up nicely. What a difference a week makes."

"Thanks. I think the rest can be covered up with make-up, but I'm no good at that stuff."

"Go and see make-up after this and see what they can do for tonight." He looked between the two women. "I've made a decision about your program. I think Molly's right. I think that this is good for business. And we like what's good for business. Tonight you both will face off in a six person tag match. It'll be Tori, Barbie, and Layla against Nattie, Beth, and Molly. I did tweak the idea a tiny bit though." _Don't say it_, Molly thought. "Molly's going to be put over."

"What?!" Tori slammed her hand down on the desk and jumped up. "I thought she was putting me over. She said she would put me over!"

"That's true, Ms. Crawford, but I've changed the plan. Please, sit back down for the remainder of this meeting. Now," he turned his attention back to Molly. "Do you have a finisher?"

"Just a piledriver," she said. "Nothing fancy." Paul's decision and Tori's outburst caused Molly to tense up in her seat. Paul had presented a plan that she wasn't ultimately thrilled with, but she understood his decision and would do right by the company. She bit her thumb nail nervously as the tension continued to escalate in the room. For the first time since joining the WWE, she was nervous about the performance she would give. Luckily, there were two other seasoned veterans that would have her back.

"We can have you work with Bill to make it fancy. For tonight, just use that as your finisher. Do you hear that Ms. Crawford? You'll be losing tonight by piledriver. All you have to do is lay there while the ref counts to three." Paul's condescending tone didn't sit right with Molly and she hoped to never find herself in that position. She thought about throwing a sympathetic glance at Tori, but her sympathy for others was limited these days. "Who is it?" Paul was pissed someone knocked on the door. Everyone knew better than to knock on the door when it was closed.. Stu's head peered into the room. "Not now, Bennett, I'm in the middle of a meeting with these two."

"Actually, I have an idea that involves them. Well, it involves Molly," he said.

Paul leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "Go on."

"Well, I was thinking if you were looking for a way to elevate the Diva's division, the best way might be to have one of them incorporated with me after I win the title from Punk."

"You're getting the title?" Molly and Tori asked in unison. Molly was thrilled for Stu, but Tori remained bothered by the entire situation.

He turned to Molly and smiled. "Yeah. Anyway, I was think that Molly would be the perfect person to team up with me. And I don't mean as my valet. We would interfere in each other's matches, cut promos together..."

"Like Edge and Lita?" Paul asked. Tori's jaw almost hit the floor. Molly sat back and tried to rub the headache that was creeping up away. Paul tapped his pointer finger against his chin.

"There will be similarities," Stu confirmed.

"You're dismissed." Both Molly and Tori stood up from their respective seats. "Molly, take a seat. Tori, remember that you're losing tonight. Let's hash out the details."

* * *

><p>Stephen was warming up in the ring with Cody Runnels when Victoria came stomping from out from backstage to meet with the other Divas. He was surprised to see that Molly wasn't alongside her. His mind immediately raced to the thought that she had been fired from the organization and immediately sent home. Tori took a seat next to Celeste and pouted. Stephen realized that had Molly been fired, Tori's affect would've presented much differently. Something much bigger must be going on.<p>

"Where's Molly? Did they let her go?" Stephen asked her.

"No," Tori was exasperated. "I'm already in enough shit as it is, you should wait until they announce it later."

"You're not going over, are yeh?" He took a seat next to the Diva. Tori shook her head. "Look, you hafta know that what yeh did to Molly was wrong. You've got to change this attitude," he said.

Her tone temporarily softened. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.

"Tori, we go back a long way. I've never seen someone start at nothing and work as hard as yeh. If yeh wanna impress the brass and yeh wanna impress Stu, go back to the Tori we all know and love."

"Both of those are far more impressed with Molly." Stephen looked around the arena and couldn't find Stu either.

"Look, lass, what's done is done. Don't give Molly any bullshit tonight. I know you two have yer differences, but she's a good person. She wants what's best for the business and she's terrified about stepping on toes."

"Well..." Tori interrupted.

"Stop it," Stephen interjected. "I care about yeh too much to watch yeh self destruct like this. Put her over tonight and do it with a smile on yer face. She was willing to do it for yeh." Tori rolled her eyes. "At least do your best to make us look credible owe this company that much." Tori looked confused. "You've been so caught up in yer own little world that you don't even realize that made us all look like shite last week. I'm surprised there's not more heat on yeh." It was then that Stephen looked around and noticed a shift of people in the arena. Celeste was no longer to her right. In fact, the entire Diva's faction had shifted to an entirely different area away from Tori, the locker room poison. "Yeh got a lotta work to do."

* * *

><p>"Molly!" Stu yelled as Molly headed back to the women's locker room.<p>

She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to Stu. "Are you trying to get me killed or using me to get back at your ex-girlfriend?" she snapped.

"It's not like that," he said. He was taken aback by her attitude. Stu really thought he was putting Molly's best interest ahead of eve his own.

"Oh, so it's both?" Stu shook his head in disbelief. "Why me, then? Why not Celeste or Sarona?" she asked.

"I want to work with you," he said. She scoffed. He slowly walked towards her, pushing her up against the concrete wall of the hallway. The florescent lights weren't doing her bruises any favors. "Look, I know you're scared here." Her dark brown eyes looked up and met with his. "I want you be successful and I have already earned the respect that you need."

Molly hesitated for what felt like minutes while she contemplated. "I can do this myself." Her stance was defiant.

"Just like all the others?" A low blow, but the truth nonethless.

Molly fished around for a good comeback, but came up empty. "I don't like your tone right now."

He bent down closer to her. "You don't have to."

All the negatives were swimming in her mind, but she pushed the positive thoughts to the forefront. "Fine. I'll do it," she said.

"You don't have a choice, Molly." Stu laughed. "You heard the man himself. They want to make you a star. It's been decided for you. Now come along we have some work to do."

* * *

><p>The Divas of Doom and Molly made their entrance to the ring accompanied by Beth's entrance music. Tori, Barbie, and Layla stood in the ring gabbing and making jokes about the three women about to enter the ring. Like most Diva's matches, it would be over in just under three minutes. Each performer was given a chance to work a few of their top spots before tagging another teammate in.<p>

Nattie and Layla started the match, circling in other briefly before locking up. Layla broke the hold first and Nattie countered by pushing her to the ground. Layla landed a cross body on Nattie from the top rope, but Nattie was able to roll out of the cover at two and tag Beth in. Layla, eager to leave the match herself, tagged Barbie in to face off with Beth.

Beth took control of the match quickly by knocking Barbie down with a few quick clotheslines. Barbie tried crawling back to her corner, but Beth picked her up and applied a back breaker. Beth set her up for the GlamSlam, but Barbie countered with a roll through and pinned Beth for another two count. Barbie jumped on top of an exasperated Beth and a fury of punches began to rain down on the Glamazon before she was able to kick Barbie off of her and crawl to her corner, tagging in Molly.

Her teammates encouraged her to finish the job with Barbie that Beth had started, but Molly pointed to Tori. "I want you," she said. Tori nervously glanced at her partners as Molly walked towards their corner. "Tag her in!" she yelled at Barbie. Barbie scooted to the ropes and walked over towards her corner. "Tag her in now, Kelly Kelly!" Kelly reluctantly made the tag and Tori hesitated briefly before passing through the ropes into the ring. "Hit me!" she yelled to Tori as she pointed to her face. Tori looked back at her tag teammates, who jumped down from the apron and backed up towards the announce table. Tori shook her head 'no.' Molly advanced and shoved her into the ropes. Tori bounced off the rope and ran at Molly with a clothes which Molly ducked. A quick run off the opposing ropes would send her back towards Molly, but she jumped over Tori. A third clothes line would knock Molly to the ground, but she quickly got up and executed a perfect drop kick on her nemesis. Molly reached down and picked Tori up by the hair positioning her perfectly to set her up for her finishing move. To Molly's surprise, Tori cooperated and pushed off on Molly's thighs to help suspend herself in the air. Molly fell to her knees and Tori's body flopped on the mat. One! Two! Three! The sound of Molly's official entrance theme filled the arena as did the sound of the fans expressing their displeasure at Molly's win. Barbie and Layla helped Tori roll out of the ring as the winning Diva's celebrated their victory in the squared circle.

Their celebration was cut short as Wade Barrett's entrance music hit and Stu made his way to the top of the ramp. He stood there staring at Molly. He slowly put his hands together and began clapping in her direction as his sinister smirk graced his features. Beth and Nattie turned to Molly seeking answers, but Molly appeared to be just as confused as they were. He disappeared almost as soon as he had appeared, leaving Molly and the audience in the lurch.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you so much for the fantastic reviews! My mind has been racing lately with all types of ideas for this story and its hard to settle on just one. Thanks for taking the time to read my stories and share your thoughts. I greatly appreciate all the feedback. Have a wonderful day, everyone! <strong>


	15. Chapter 15

"Bennett! Grimes!" Stu and Molly turned to see Paul Levesque storming towards them. They had just congratulated each other on the audience reaction to the beginning of their new angle. Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole did an excellent job of selling their confusion about what took place after the Diva's match to the audience at home. Following that, Molly exhibited the same behavior after Stu's win over Brodus Clay. She walked down as far as the ring, but turned back towards the locker room when he approached her. "We want to keep this angle going. I'll trust you both to figure out Elimination Chamber on your own?" Paul asked.

"Of course," Molly smiled. "That is unless of course you have some idea you'd like to share with us." She didn't mean to, but she stumbled horrifically over her words. Stu raised an eyebrow in her direction. For someone that wanted no part of this plan a few hours prior, her wheels were already turning.

"We can handle it," Stu confirmed. Paul nodded and stared down at his Blackberry before venturing off to the next task at hand. Stu grabbed a fresh towel off of the table outside gorilla and wrapped it around his neck. "Pretty sure of yourself there, aren't you?"

"Confidence is key," she shrugged. "Congratulations, by the way." She took a small sip of water from the water bottle. "Why are you looking at me like that? You're going to make a great champion."

Truth be told, Stu had almost completely forgotten about the fact he was scheduled to win the title from Punk at Elimination Chamber. Suddenly, he remembered everything that was at stake. He took a step towards her, licking his lips. "I better not have any regrets about taking you with me," he said. Molly shook her head, confused over his change in attitude. "Good. We'll sort out the details for the PPV soon." Stu's hand reached out and squeezed her left shoulder. It was a gesture of gratitude and sympathy all rolled into one, but one Molly took as confusing.

* * *

><p>Molly waited until the arena was practically empty before packing up her locker and heading out to her rental car. "Yeh goin' out, Molls?" Stephen yelled over the hood of his rental in her direction.<p>

"No," she responded. "I'm just going to go back to the hotel and get some sleep. I'm not used to these long ass days yet." She threw her suitcase in the trunk of her car. The trunk latch was caught and she was unable to shut the door.

Stephen ran over to her. "Let me help you with that." He looked under the latch of the trunk and shook it a few times so it would move. "Probably needs a little grease is all. Make sure yeh tell the rental car place when yeh drop it off." Molly nodded. "Molls, I gotta ask yeh a question." She sighed heavily already anticipating his forthcoming line of questioning.. "Do yeh really think workin with Stu is a good idea?"

"Nope," she said matter of factly. "It's a terrible idea, but not mine." A look of disbelief passed over his face. "Look, I don't owe you an explanation and I don't want to get into this with you right now. I need to take every opportunity to get noticed around here. We've been over this. Besides," she continued. "It's not like some gym buddy of mine trying to push me to the moon."

Stephen ran a hand down his face. "...the fuck? Is that what yeh think?"

Molly realized almost immediately that she had crossed a line. "Ste, I..."

"...Yeh think that my success and where ah am right now has nothing to do with me level of talent?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it," she apologized.

"Yeh were certainly thinking it or yeh wouldn't have said somethin'," he said.

"Do you think Paul agreeing to my push with Stu has nothing to do with my level of talent?" she asked. He crossed his arms against his chest and stared at her. Molly laughed. "Really? So, you're not saying anything so you must not be thinking anything too, right?"

A threatening tone washed over his words. "Yeh have no idea what ah'm thinkin' right now."

Patiently, she waited for Stephen to express himself, but his stubbornness was resounding. "I have to go," she muttered as she turned towards the driver's side of the car.

"Molly, wait..."

She turned back toward him as she unlocked her door. "I can't keep doing this with you."

"Ah just want what's best for yeh," he said.

Molly dropped her purse on the ground. "And what's that?" she asked exasperated. The long, emotional day and hours of driving were starting to take their toll on her stability. Stephen walked over towards her and slowly brushed her hair away from her face. He bent down and gently applied a kiss to her lips. Molly's hands remained at her sides as his grabbed her waist and pulled her close.

"See you later, lass."

* * *

><p><em>Meet me downstairs for a drink<em>. Molly glanced at Stu's text and immediately set her phone back on the nightstand. It was well after midnight and her desire to get up and put on pants was non existent. _Molly, we have work to do. Get up_. "No!" she yelled out loud and turned the ringer off of her phone. _For fucks sake, leave your pajamas on and come to my room. 607. Heath went out. _The screen lighting up piqued her curiosity and she grumbled as she grabbed it off the night stand, reading the text with one eye open.

She picked up the jeans she had left in a heap on the floor and pulled them up her long legs. She fanned the warn Bruce Springsteen t-shirt over her jeans before quickly glancing at herself in the mirror. Her hair was still curly and full of volume from Raw. She had removed the fake eyelashes they forced her to wear, but she decided not to remove the make-up, instead choosing to view her clean, undamaged face for a few more hours.

Grabbing her keys, she hesitated briefly at the door unsure if she was making a good decision.

* * *

><p>Stu opened the door to his hotel room at the sound of a knock. "Well, it's about bloody time, young lady." The smile across his face faded.<p>

"Christina was released today." Stu was expecting Molly to answer the door, but instead found Tori. "Aren't you going to say something?" Her arms were folded across her chest, her stance defiant.

"I'm expecting company." It was all he could muster. Stu had always been fond of Christina, but knew that she wasn't long for the wrestling business. Some people, despite how hard they tried and how much effort they gave, could never quite nail down even the most basic of concepts. Christina was one of those people. At a certain point, WWE needed to cut their losses and concentrate on training future stars.

Tori scoffed. "Molly..."

"Don't you dare blame Molly for this one. You're acting like a child, Victoria. It's pathetic." Tori was taken aback by the Englishman's comments and couldn't hold back the chance to refute. "And don't blame me for this one either." Her tone softened and sobs began spilling from her. Stu questioned the validity of her emotions, but in a moment of weakness, enveloped her into a hug.

"I just wanted us to be doing this together," she mumbled between sobs.

"I know you did, love." He slipped a hand through her hair and gently rocked her back and forth. His eyes scanned the hallway looking for Molly.

"You, me, and Tina. That's the way it should be." Her face rested against his dress shirt, her speech muffled by the soft fabric.

His eyes continued to nervously scan the empty hallway. "Well, sometimes things don't always go according to plan," he sighed.

"You mean to tell me that you don't miss me...even a little bit?" Tori stared up at him. Her dark brown eyes familiar. She had made the first move, this much he knew, but he suddenly found himself engaged in a familiar, passionate kiss.

"This is awkward." Stu looked up to see Molly standing at the end of the hallway.

Tori turned around and bit her thumb, a small giggle escaping her lips. "What do you want, little girl?"

"Nothing at all," Molly said. "I just came to plan out the angle, but you're busy."

"Molly, I..." Stu began.

Tori put a finger up to silence the Englishman. "We're busy," she interrupted.

Molly looked down at the ground to avoid eye contact. "I, uh..." She backed away from the couple. "No, it's totally cool. Now is not a good time for me either. I have some...things I need to do."

"Run along now," Victoria dismissed. Molly stared at her, not wanting to back down from the dominant Diva. "Before I get real pissed about you getting my sister fired."

"Wait...what?" Molly inquired.

Stu sighed. "Molly, you should go now."

"Thank you, baby." Tori turned back to Molly. "You heard the man. Get going."

Molly looked at Stu and waited for him to say something, anything, but he stood paralyzed by the situation. Clearly both women had taken him off guard.

* * *

><p>"I knew I'd find you here." The Irishman turned to see Molly standing next to him. She scanned the bar. "This seems to be where all the cool kids hang out."<p>

"What do yeh want?" he asked turning away from her.

Molly almost turned on her heel and walked away right then. These mixed signals Stephen was sending had grown old. "To buy you a drink, but I know when I'm not wanted," she said. Without looking, he quickly grabbed her arm. She reluctantly sat down in the barstool he pulled out towards her. "What are you having?"

"Diet Coke," he said. She smiled at him. "What?"

"It's hard to keep up with your Rock n' Roll ways, Farelly,," she joked. "Can I get a Coke and a Diet Coke?" she asked the bartender.

"The hard stuff, huh?" he stated, beginning to soften.

"I don't care much for the aftertaste," she said making a face to match her feeling.

Stephen shrugged. "It grows on yeh," he smiled.

"Look, Ste, about earlier, I just wanted to say..." He could see the sincerity in her eyes.

Stephen dismissed it. "I know you're stressed out, lass. It's ok." He placed his hand on top of hers, his fingers danced across her skin.

"I just wanted you to know that...I just..." He smiled up at her. "I know you work hard. I've seen that you're one of the only guys working in the ring prior to showtime. It's obvious how much you love this business."

"I shouldn't be giving you such a hard time," he said.

The bartender placed the two glasses in front of them. "Thanks," Molly smiled, sliding some money across the counter. "Water under the bridge." They sat together silently while they sipped their drinks. Stephen slowly turned to look at her and smiled. She returned the sentiment, but saw more behind his eyes than just the polite gesture. "Wanna go back to my room?" she boldly inquired.

"Yup," he replied quickly, grabbing her hand and making a run for the hotel elevator.

Once inside, she pressed the button for the ninth floor. His hand squeezed hers tightly. The time between floors felt like an eternity. Molly let a giggle slip out when she turned to look at the Irishman.

"What are yeh laughing at?" he asked.

She turned to him and grabbed the waistband of his jeans, pulling him flush against her. "I can't wait for you to fuck me." He was shocked by her new found dominance. "Promise me you won't stop this time," she requested through a slight pout.

He bent down and brushed the hair gently behind her ear. "Ah will never stop," he whispered. The elevator doors swung open surprising both of them. Stephen slowly backed away allowing Molly to lead him by the hand to her room.

Stephen bumped into her when she came to a sudden stop at the corner of the hallway."Oh, fuck." Stephen peeked around the corner and observed the same disheartening figure. Stu sat on the floor of the hall with his back leaning against the hotel door. "Wait right here," she said. "Let me get rid him."

He tugged her arm back towards the elevator. "We can just go back to my room," he offered.

She arched an eyebrow. "Are you going to throw Bryan out?" His fist lightly tapped the wall in contemplation. "Get rid of him."

Molly's footsteps on the soft carpet drew Stu's attention. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Not long." Stu looked tired, which, for him, was a rarity given his on going sleeping problems. "I tried following you up to your room, but you obviously went somewhere else first."

She was unapologetic in her explanation. "I met Ste for a drink in the bar." An understanding nod was thrown back her way. "Look, I don't really care what your relationship with Tori is and I don't think you should do anything for my benefit. If you love her..."

"I don't love her," he interrupted.

Molly struggled to find the right words. "Well, then you know..." She threw her hands up at the realization she didn't want to give any more advice. "I don't know. Don't kiss her then."

"That's a start, I suppose." Stu's aggravation was clear, but Molly needed him to accept responsibility. "About what Tori said, Christina was released from FCW today," he added. Molly shrugged. "What? You don't feel bad?"

"I'm finding it hard to feel about anything that happens to the Crawford's these days," she said. "Christina was just as big a bitch to me as Tori was," she said. "I never did see her wrestle though so maybe there was something there."

"No, there wasn't," he said, chuckling. "Your presence around here really shook things up for many people. Myself included." Just as Molly was about to delve into the same apology she'd been handing out for the last month, Stu interrupted. "...Stop apologizing," he said. "I really can't listen to this anymore. Do you have any idea why I took you into my house and under my wing?"

"I would like to say it's because you believe I have some semblance of talent."

"Exactly. So, stop apologizing and just get out there and do what you're here to do. I chose to work with you over any of the other girls because we have great chemistry. I trust you. You're going to get a chance to be just as instrumental in all of this as I am." Molly nodded. "Do you want to talk about the Chamber now?"

Molly forced out a yawn. "Could we do it when we're back in Tampa? I'll have you over for dinner. You can hang out with Barry."

"Sounds alright." Stu stood up and extended his hand out to Molly, pulling her up. He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. "Please forget what you saw tonight."

"It's forgotten," she shrugged. "Goodnight." Molly gave a faint wave as she unlocked her hotel room and quickly slipped inside. She began to tidy things up around the room, giving Stu a few minute head start before she would go grab Stephen from the hallway.

Stu rounded the corner of the hallway towards the elevator. "What are you doing up here?" He crossed his arms against his chest.

"Me room's up here," Stephen said.

The smirk across Stu's lips expressed his thoughts perfectly. "Then why aren't you in it?"

"Ah, uh, forget me toothbrush," he said.

"In the hallway?" Stephen nodded afraid that making any other movement would give away his intention. "Come off it. I know you and Bryan are down on my floor." He stepped close to the Irishman. "You and Molly?" He again nodded. "Go," Stu commanded. "Don't keep her waiting."

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><p><em>...<strong>but I'll keep you waiting! Thanks for all the love and reviews! I appreciate you guys taking the time to read this and comment. I really feel like I am growing with all your insight. Thanks for sticking with this story. I hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it. Special thanks to shakeitsalome and xjojox for their endless encouragement and reviews. Hopefully I'll have more updates, one shots, and two shots for y'all soon! <strong>_


	16. Chapter 16

Molly barely had time to unruffle the sheets on her bed before there was a knock at her door. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and silently reassured herself that she was making a good decision. "Well, hello," she greeted the Irishman as the door swung open. "I've been expecting you."

Stephen couldn't help but laugh at her attempts to be seductive. After witnessing the havoc that she had caused in the ring earlier that evening it was difficult to picture her as the meek, scared girl he had seen so many times before. Her shirt had slipped down over her right shoulder and he was drawn to the flowered strap of her bra. Without words, he sauntered into the room and stood over by the bed. Molly's hands reached down to the hem of her t-shirt, but large hands covered hers in protest. "That's me favorite part."

With fingers wrapped tightly around her waist, he turned her to face the mirror on the back of the hotel door. Goosebumps formed on her arms as his hands slid softly over her skin. He kept his eyes locked with hers in the mirror as he slowly peeled the worn t-shirt up and over her head.

"Ste..." she began, but a stern look from him silenced her. All she was seeking was confirmation that he wasn't going to stop again.

His hands sliding down the sensitive skin of her sides to the waistband of her jeans was the answer she needed. Roughly, the jeans were pulled down her legs after he flicked them open with his thumb and finger. He still had yet to take his eyes off of her in the mirror. Molly's knees literally went weak as Stephen pressed a small kiss behind her knee. Her wavering body was held still by a firm grasp on the front of her thighs. His fingers trailed up towards the edge of her underwear settled at the apex her thighs, flirting with the edge of the fabric.

Slowly, he walked her to over to the bed. Sitting down on the edge, he pulled her hips close to him. He stared up at her as a kiss was placed just above her belly button. Molly reached back and undid her bra, letting the fabric fall down her arms and onto the floor. The pebbled flesh of her nipples was begging to be devoured and he would not deny her the right. His kisses continued up her torso until he reached her right nipple, which grew harder in his mouth at each swirl of his tongue. For never having gone this far before, the man knew all her trigger spots. Molly laced her hands together in his red hair as her head bent back relishing in the pleasure.

She sunk down on her knees in front of Stephen. "I think we need to finish where we left off," she whispered. There was no argument to be had, he couldn't wait for her lips to be around him. Her hands made short work of his jeans as his hands lifted the cotton shirt up over his head. Like she had done before, Molly pulled down the waistband of his navy boxer briefs and kissed her way down. He slid up on the bed watching her intently as the clothing was quickly discarded and tossed into the growing pile of clothes on her floor.

Stephen smiled as his thumb ran across her lips eliciting a smile in return. "Ah told yeh Ah'm not stopping." Sitting up, he took her face in his hands and slowly brought her to her knees.

"But..." she interjected, as he guided her back down onto the bed. She pouted at losing her control.

His finger traced a circle around her belly button. "Molly, are yeh really gonna argue wit' me right now?" She laid back and jokingly clasped a hand over her mouth to keep quiet. "Good," he smiled. "Yeh'll probably want to stay like that unless yeh want everyone to hear you." Stephen continued his torturous antics by slowly lifting her legs and pulling the lace underwear down. He pressed a kiss to each ankle before settling down between them. Her eyes widened in surprise as Stephen's fingers immediately seeked out her clit. His lips came up to meet hers silencing any reservations that she had left.

Kissing his way down her chest, he stopped to momentarily entertain each nipple with his tongue. Her hands moved through his hair gently pushing him down. "Molly, stop." His warning was severe. Forcefully, he spread her legs opened and began his assault on her clit. Their fight for dominance had driven her mad and Stephen could taste all of it on his tongue. He moaned against her as he devoured each drop of sweetness. Molly's eyes slipped shut as Stephen brought her to ecstasy faster than any man before him had. His hands gripped her hips to keep her still as his lashing sped up. She rested her hand on top of his and squeezed it as she continued to build towards her climax. The hand he had asked her to keep clamped over her mouth was again covering her lips. Stephen quickly climbed up her body, replacing his tongue with his thick fingers, and pushed her hand away. "I wanna hear yeh," he whispered lowly into her ear.

Her eyes locked with his, his fingers vigorously moved in and out of her at a rapid pace as he continued to coax her verbally to reach her climax. He felt her tighten beneath him and she began to tremble. "That's it, Molls," he encouraged. Her head lifted off the pillow, lips seeking out her lover. Her orgasm took over as their lips touched, tongues entwined in a passionate kiss. He pressed his forehead to hers as their lips parted briefly. Her small hand reached up to caress the side of his face. Stephen pressed a small kiss inside of her wrist causing Molly to giggle. "What's so funny?"

"That was worth the wait." She was still breathless. A bead of sweat trickled down between his pecs catching her eye. Running her hands up his chest, she carefully pushed him on his back and began to rain kisses down his torso. He won the first round. If she wanted to assert herself going forward, he would allow it.

He shuddered as her hot mouth enveloped every inch of his cock, but it wasn't what he wanted in the moment. Stephen lifted her chin up to meet his gaze. "I want yeh to fuck me now," he requested, voice barely above a whisper. She nodded and grabbed one of the condoms she had laid out on the nightstand. "A little presumptuous, aren't you lass?" He laughed at her preparedness.

"I told you in the elevator that I was dying to fuck you. You didn't seem to mind then," she said, the threat of stopping seemed to hang on at the end of her words. Molly bit her bottom lip as she slid down the hard shaft. "Is this what you want?" Desperate to be in control he tried to sit up, but she pushed him back down on the bed, keeping her hands pressed against his chest. Molly sped up her movements, slowly rolling her hips as she rode him. His large hands grabbed her wrists and he pulled her forward. Wrapping his arms around her back, he held her still as he thrust up into her. Her moans turned into a steady scream exacerbated by his hard and fast movements.

"Come on, Molly." Allowing her to lean back, he grabbed her hips forcing her to take him deeper with each motion. A deep groan emanated from the depths of his soul as she tightened herself around him and rotated her hips in a circular motion. She screamed his name as her second orgasm took over her. The beautiful sound of her cumming was all the coaxing he needed. Grabbing her hips, he held her still as he came inside of her.

Eyes half-lidded, Molly collapsed on top of him and searched desperately for his mouth with hers. "Thank you," she whispered.

He kissed her shoulder. "For what, lass?"

"For everything."

* * *

><p><strong>Awwww...I like them :) Thanks for all the reviews. I am too sleepy (and hot and bothered) to name you all individually, but you're all absolutely wonderful and I wouldn't continue to write without your helpful and encouraging feedback! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, please let me know your thoughts. It helps me grow! (Told you I was sleepy :)) <strong>


	17. Chapter 17

Based on the buzz going on backstage, the Elimination Chamber appeared to be everyone's least favorite pay per view. The physical structure was limiting, performers had a hard time gauging crowd reactions, and the pain and destruction it caused on each participant was severe. It had taken Molly and Stu almost an entire night to figure out just what her involvement would be. On more than one occasion Stu questioned her commitment to this project. Every time a text went off on her phone, she immediately would turn her attention to the device, shoot off a quick reply, and repeat whatever Stu had just said to her minus a few key words. His suspicions of a newly minted relationship were confirmed when Stephen showed up at her home around 2am, planted a sweet kiss on her cheek, and brought a pizza as a peace offering to Stu, to replace the one they had stolen off his front lawn that day Tori had come by.

"Are you ready?" Stu asked as she eyed the monstrosity that surrounded the ring. She almost didn't hear him over the noise of the chairs being set up by the road crew.

"Sure," Molly said matter of factly, never taking her eyes once off the stucture. Truth be told, she was the most nervous she had ever been in her life. She took a deep breath and walked around the chamber. With minor trepidation, she reached out and ran her hands along the cold metal. It had to hurt like hell to crash into that, she realized.

Paul Levesque walked up beside Molly and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Do you have a second?"

"Of course," she smiled. She turned to nod at Stu and walked over towards the announce table with Paul. "What's up?"

"We're adding a Diva's match tonight. Layla is going to face Tori with Tori going over. You're going to interfere in the match and make sure that she wins." Molly nodded waiting to see how all of this applied to her. "You're going to capture it tomorrow night from Tori."

To say Molly was stunned by Paul's comments was an understatement. "What?" she asked.

"Congratulations, Molly. You're going to become Diva's Champ tomorrow night," he said. "It gives everyone everything they want. The fans get to see some resolution to the storyline because you're going to come out and say that the only way you want to win the title is if you face her."

She wanted to kick her feet and scream, but she needed to choose her words carefully. "Don't you think you might be pushing me a little too fast? I mean I'll interfere in the Diva's match and then the WWE title match. Maybe it's a little too much?"

Paul stared at her blankly. "No." His stance was firm with no apparent room for discussion. "Anyway, we really want you and Stu to be the focal point of the company right now and putting the titles on both of you seems like smart business."

"Right," she nodded. "And you love smart business." She had to fight hard to roll her eyes. "Thank you for the opportunity." She leaned back against the announce table and rubbed her temples. "Jesus Christ," she muttered under her breath.

"Everything alright?" Stu asked. "You look like your grandma just died."

Molly stared blankly ahead of her. "They're giving me the title."

"Tonight!?" he asked. "That's incredible! You know what this means..."

"No," she interrupted. "I'm taking it off Tori tomorrow night. She's winning it tonight." His jaw dropped. "Is this all just a big fucking joke?"

"To be fair, Molls, you said you had no problem facing her. In fact, you wanted to build a program with her." Molly put her finger up to silence him as Tori came strolling over.

"Relax, I'm not here to fight with anyone." Almost everything Tori said had a sarcastic tone behind it.. "I came down here because I had an idea I wanted to discuss with Molly. Look, I asked Paul to put the title on you. I want you to interfere in the match tonight so I win. Then, tomorrow you'll interrupt my promo and say that you want a shot and I wouldn't even have the title if it weren't for you. Then, you'll beat me. Fair and square."

"I don't understand," Stu interrupted. "Why are you doing this?"

"I've decided to take some time off. Not sure how long yet, but I think I need to step away from competing for a little while. Paul asked me to take on more of an ambassador role." Shocked by her statement, Stu and Molly looked between each other. "Stu, you always taught me that this business is cyclical. It's Molly's time right now. And later it'll be my time."

Stu grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the other side of the ring. Tori winced in pain at his grasp. "This better not be one of your sick games, Victoria." She wiggled away from him and backed up against the barricade. "I mean it. You've done enough to her and if you're going to fuck with her first title shot..."

"I'm doing this for you," she interrupted. Stu raised an eyebrow in her direction. "I get it. They teamed up you and Molly. They're going to make you a strong champion and if you have another champion at your side, you're only going to look even stronger." Stu looked over at Molly, her arms crossed and head hanging low. "She's a great wrestler. She's going to make a much better champion than me and pairing up the Diva's Champ with the WWE is going to bring more attention to the girls. I think everyone knows that at this point." Tori rested her hand on top of Stu's. "And most importantly, she's going to make my baby look good. "

* * *

><p>"Stop laughing," Punk ordered.<p>

Colt wiped fake tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry. It's just so funny that you're dropping the title in your hometown."

"Can't win them all," Punk said. "At least I'm losing it to five guys if you want to get technical. Besides, Bennett's a good dude and we're going to work a great program. This will at least give me some sympathy."

"No one could ever sympathize with you." Colt's infectious laughter rattled off the walls of the backstage arena.

"I thought I heard you," Molly said as she rounded the corner. "I had to know you'd somehow find your way backstage tonight." Colt's smile faded when he saw her. Her tone softened at the expression on his face. "How are you, Scott?"

Clearing his throat, he nodded. "I'm good, Molly. Couldn't be better. You?" Punk crossed his arms and looked between them watching their awkward exchange unfold.

"Good," she said. She waited for some sort of signal that he wanted to continue their conversation, but she knew when he turned his back to her that it was over. "Hey, uh, it was great to see you."

"Yeah, you too," he dismissed. She nodded at both men and walked away towards the locker room. Colt exhaled deeply as he watched her walk away.

"...Seriously?" Punk rolled his eyes. "You haven't seen her in almost two years and that's it?" Colt ran a hand over his face in contemplation. "That's why you're here tonight, isn't it?" Colt's eyes darted in Punk's direction. "Look, she's with either Bennett or Farrelly now..."

"Probably both," Colt interrupted.

"Jesus Christ, dude. You never let her explain," Colt argued.

"I know what I saw..."

"Fine. I'm not going to rehash this with you." Punk threw his hands up in defense. "It's none of my business."

"She's really with Bennett?" Colt asked.

"Or Farrelly. No one is really talking about it yet, but Farrelly is the bigger rumor. I'm sure you saw the whole thing that happened between her and Tori. It was pretty gruesome. She's got a ton of respect back here from a lot of people for how she handled that one." Punk noticed that Colt wasn't listening to anything he was saying at all. "You gotta let it go, man."

* * *

><p>Alicia Fox's entrance music blared throughout the arena as she made her way down to the ring to meet her opponent, a newly heel turned Layla. Unlike recent Diva's matches, Paul had actually extended the time of this match to seven minutes - almost double it's original time. Layla had informed Molly prior to the start of the match that she was looking forward to what Molly could do as Champion and was thankful that she wouldn't have to work the weekend house circuit anymore, something that Molly hadn't even taken into consideration.<p>

The match was slow to start with both women locking up. A quick leg sweep from Alicia brought Layla down to the mat where she was able to grapple with Alicia for a few minor submission moves that they both broke quickly and easily. Once Alicia stumbled back on her feet, Layla went to set up the cross body, but Alicia pulled her legs out from under her causing Layla hit her head off the bottom turnbuckle. Alicia went for the quick pin, but Layla kicked out at one.

Molly stood in gorilla watching the monitor waiting for her her cue. As soon as Alicia put the Boston crab hold on Layla, Avery ran down the ring, a small aerosol can clutched in her grasp. Layla broke the hold and kicked Alicia in the head causing her to stumble towards the side of the ring closest to the announce table. Unaware of Avery 's presence, Layla crawled over to the ropes and attempted to pull herself up. It was then that Avery quickly sprayed the substance in Layla's eyes. Avery sprinted back up towards gorilla as Layla flailed on the mat, blinded by the liquid. A confused Alicia stood above Layla momentarily before putting her in a quick roll up and winning the title with a three count.

As Alicia exited, she excitedly high fived the crowd, even stopping to place a kiss on the cheek of a five year old boy. She stopped in her tracks when she glanced up at the ramp and saw Avery standing there, sarcastically applauding her win. Alicia raised her title high in the air towards Avery , but Avery just turned and walked backstage.

"Congratulations," Molly greeted as Tori entered through the backstage curtains. "You and Lay put on a great match."

Tori nodded. "Thanks for agreeing to interfere. It wouldn't have gone that well without your help."

"I didn't really do anything," Molly shrugged. "Besides, tomorrow night is when it gets really interesting."

* * *

><p>Joining Punk and Barrett as participants in the WWE Championship match were Big Show, Christian, Randy Orton, and Kofi Kingston. Every competitor seemed to bring something to the table. Both Christian and Kofi were known for their high spots. Orton was known as a decent technical worker who could be a crowd favorite to win. Big Show, who would be used for a good knockout or two, was just playing the part of the requisite giant.<p>

Wade would be last to enter and, by the time his door opened, both Christian and Kofi had been eliminated by Punk. Show immediately went for Barrett, hoping that he could quickly wear down the British Brawler, but Barrett had other plans, quickly rolling under the ropes so Show crashed into Orton, sending him through the thick glass that constructed the door of the Chamber. Orton and Big Show writhed in pain on the mat as Barrett sought out Punk.

Punk, having created distance between him and his opponents, threw a few quick shin kicks in Barrett's direction, causing him to stagger backwards into an awaiting Randy Orton. Orton attempted the RKO, but Barrett ducked out and countered with the Souvenir, covering Orton quickly for the pin. Out of the original six competitors, only three remained: Barrett, Big Show, and the reigning WWE Champ. The three men circled each other as the outside ref's helped clear Orton from the ring. Show and Barrett quickly made eye contact and nodded in agreement before ganging up on Punk. Barrett went for the pin, but Punk kicked out at two. Show immediately jumped on Punk for the win by Punk again kicked out at the two count.  
>Once Show was on his feet, Barrett again used his finished, but with no success. Big Show attempted to counter with a chokeslam, but Barrett was able to slip out. Punk crawled into the corner of the ring and waited as the two men battled each other with vicious punches. Once both men were on the ground, Punk attempted to GTS on Barrett, but Barrett slipped out and picked up Punk for a spinning side slam. He, again, went for the cover and Punk, again, kicked out at two.<p>

Barrett remained on the ground as Show picked up Punk for the chokeslam. The canvas shook violently as Punk's body hit the mat. Barrett jumped up and kicked the big show in the back bringing the tired giant to his knees. In the most impressive spot of the match, Wade picked up Big Show and used his Wasteland finisher to stop the World's Largest Athlete.

It was at this moment in the match that Avery down towards the chamber. As the ref's were helping Show backstage she was able to sneak into the open door. Barrett had his attention turned towards Avery, who was standing behind both Punk and the ref inside of the ring, neither man aware of her presence. Barrett immediately started a verbal altercation with the ref to distract him. Molly quickly pulled the aerosol bottle out again, tapped Punk on the shoulder, and sprayed him directly in the eyes. She exited the ring and ran underneath to hide. Barrett used his Souvenir finisher for the second time during the match and pinned Punk, winning his first ever WWE Championship Title. Barrett demanded the ref raise his hand in victory as a the jeers filled the arena air. One of the things that made the Elimination Chamber so exciting was the fact that it was virtually impossible to interfere in a match, but Stu and Molly had come up with a way.

Avery jumped up on the apron and walked into the center of the ring to congratulate the new Champion. Wade grabbed her, picked her up, and began feverishly attacking her lips with his. _This wasn't part of the plan_Molly thought, but she went with it. Avery wrapped her legs around him as his hands roamed her body. If Stu had wanted to sell this, he was doing a great job. Eventually, she broke the kiss and he eased her down gently to the ground.

His kiss had knocked her off her feet. "Congratulations," she mustered.

He turned to her and winked. "Thanks, love."

* * *

><p><strong>I realized I cursed myself by making this PPV Elimination Chamber! haha. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapters. I'd love to hear your reviews of this more wrestling focused chapter. This story is so much fun to write and I can't thank you guys enough for the support. Super special thanks to shakitsalome and xj0j0x for their support and continuous reviews. Yay!<strong>


	18. Chapter 18

The fans were beginning to clear out of the arena as a victorious Stu and Molly made their way backstage. Pats on the back and high fives were exchanged between them and various performers and WWE personnel. Stephen embraced Stu in a congratulatory hug while Nattie pressed a kiss to Molly's cheek.

Stephen licked his lips at the sight of her. "Yeh did fantastic, Molls. Ah'm proud of ya." Maybe it was the kiss she had shared with Stu, but she was feeling guilty and unable to look him directly in the eye. A soft smile and shrug was all she could muster in response.. He leaned down close and whispered in her ear. "I also heard the good news. Congratulations on the Diva's title." His closeness almost caused her to shudder. "Pack up and I'll meet you at the car."

"She did a great job, didn't she?" Stu's large hand grasped her shoulder. "I think you more than proved yourself tonight out there."

"I hope so. My hands haven't stopped shaking yet and my heart is still racing." She paced back and forth trying to work out the extra energy.

Stu smiled. "The adrenaline is insane after a moment like that, right?" She nodded as she exhaled deeply and shook out her hands. "Anyway, rest up, tomorrow is going to be the biggest night of your career."

Molly knew she would struggle to sleep tonight given the praise from tonight, the Championship match for tomorrow, and the gorgeous Irishman she'd be sharing her bed with who just happened to be making eyes at her since she set foot backstage. Stephen wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her in close for a kiss. "Ah'm sorry. Ah just couldn't wait any longer." Embarrassed, she lowered her head down.

"Congratulations, Molly." The gruff voice resonated in the empty corridor. "You were always so good at the classic heel maneuvers." Those words coming from anyone else would've been a compliment, but she knew it was backhanded.

"Thanks, Scott," she replied swiftly. "I'll see you in the car, Ste."

The two men shook hands. "Hows it goin', Cabana?" Scott and Ste had never crossed paths together in developmental, but they knew each other from mutual friends. "It's good to see yeh."

"Yeah, man, you too. Great job out there tonight." Stephen couldn't help but notice Cabana's eyes watching Molly walk away. "So, are you and Molly together?"

Stephen scratched the back of his neck and smiled. "Yeah, Ah guess yeh could say that. Yeh guys know each other from the indies?"

"Yeah, great performer, but a shitty girlfriend. Keep an eye on her. Fuck, keep both eyes on her." Cabana patted him on the back before walking away.

Stephen looked over at Molly and Stu who were chatting away casually over in the corner. He watched as Stu pulled her in close for a hug and bent down to whisper something in her ear. Whatever he said made her laugh too much for Stephen's liking.

After lying in bed in Stephen's embrace for close to 30 minutes, Molly was finally starting to drift off to sleep. The warmth of his body and cool breath against her helped to relax her.

"Hey, Molls?" Stephen whispered against her skin. A slight moan from her gave him permission to continue. "What happened between you and Cabana?" he asked. He felt her tense up at the questioning and pull from his grasp.

"What do you mean?" she asked groggily. She flicked on the bedside table light.

Stephen immediately wished he could go back in time and take the question back. It had just occurred to him that maybe this was none of his business, but he couldn't just know one side of the story. "He, uh, alluded to things not going so well between the two of yeh."

Molly shrugged unapologetically. "Long distance relationships are hard," she said.

"That's it? That's all yeh have to say? 'Long distance relationships are hard?' Come on, Molls, give me a little more than that. Give me a reason to..."

"To What? Stay with you?" He nodded regretfully. "What the fuck? It's not like I did anything to you. Besides, this was like over a year ago."

"Ah'm sorry Ah brought it up," he said.

"You should be. It's none of your business." He leaned over and kissed her shoulder as a peace offering. "Alright, look. I hosted a wrestler for a while, and no, I'm not going to tell you who it was, and we slept together on his last night in town. It was a moment of total drunken weakness. I hadn't seen him for a few weeks until a show in Chicago. I was waiting in the parking lot for Scott to show up and this guy just came over and kissed me like we were together. He knew about Scott and my situation. He was just trying to take advantage of me. I hadn't told Scott yet because I wanted to do it in person, but he saw this guy kiss me. And, well, that was it."

Stephen could sense that reliving this moment was all too painful for her. It was apparent that the guilt still resided within her. "So, then what's going on with Tori…"

"..is really hard to deal with for a number of reasons. I didn't want to be the one that just waltzes in and breaks up a relationship. That's not what I do. I don't get off on that stuff."

"But, Molls, you didn't. Tori took all these matters into her own hands."

"Can you blame her? Foolishly, I didn't expect to be a threat. Scott never minded when guys stayed with me because he knew 95% of them. I never wanted to hurt him. I was planning on breaking up with him anyway because it wasn't working, but this complicated things and he's never forgiven me. Any more questions about it or can we go back to cuddling and get some sleep?" Stephen nodded. "Good. Just remember that I'm not proud of any of that." Stephen nodded again. She turned to face him. "And that I like you very, very much, Sheamus."

Tori and Molly had spent about an hour going over the details of the match with Fit FInlay. Much to Molly's surprise Tori had been delightful to deal with. All of the ideas she offered up for a finisher were designed to make Molly look strong. It was Molly's idea to attack Tori during her entrance, but Tori suggested that Molly kick out of her finisher twice.

"What if we added a stipulation?" Finlay's eyebrows raised in Molly's direction. "Like an 'I quit' match or a 'last man standing?'"

"I will run it by Hunter, but I can't make any promises. Now, I think you girls have built a solid match here. Get in the ring and work on your spots." With his notes in his hand, Finlay took off for the COO's office.

Tori jumped up on the apron, steadying herself on the ropes to stretch. Molly instead took the opportunity to practice walking on the opposite side ropes in the hopes she could finally incorporate a Tornado DDT into her offense.

"Pretty brazen there, aren't you?" Stu asked from inside the ring.

"Get out of here, Bennett. The ladies are about to wrestle," she joked as she sat to straddle the turnbuckle.

A slight chuckle escaped his lips. "Need I remind you that you are talking to the World Heavyweight Champion?"

"Need I remind you that you are talking to the reason why you are the World Heavyweight Champion?"

"Fair enough." He stepped in close. "Look, I need you to go a little easy on Tori tonight. She's nervous about facing you because she wants you to look really good out there."

"So she has turned a new leaf then." Molly couldn't hide her skepticism.

"It would appear so," he said, smiling.

"Well then, what does this mean for you two?" The idea hadn't even crossed Stu's mind. His expression turned contemplative. "I'm sorry, I know that's none of my business."

"Well, we'll see what happens," he said.

Stephen jumped up on apron next to Stu. "Hello, gorgeous. Hello, caffler."

"Are you going to take that from him?" Stu asked Molly.

"I don't even know what that means, but I think I'm 'gorgeous.'" Stephen nodded. "Caffler, could we have a moment please?"

Stu jumped off the apron. "Wanker," he mumered.

"Who was that for?" Stephen called out.

"The both of you!" Stu shot back. Molly laughed just as hard as she had the night before at whatever Stu had whispered into her ear.

"I owe him so much," she said. "I owe you a lot too," she said. "Thank you for helping me get here."

"It's yeh night, lass. You got yourself here. I just came over to wish yeh luck in case I don't see yeh. No pressure, but everyone back stage is really looking forward to seeing how tonight goes."

"Well, me too," she said. "I can't help but not trust her."

Stephen kissed her forehead. "Yeh'll be great. Just make yehselves look good. Yeh can do that much, I know. Now, next time Ah see yeh, yeh'll be the Diva's Champ and Ah'll be the envy of little boys the world over."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the HUGE delay! Thanks for all your patience! I hope you guys remember the story. I love reading your reviews, so please let me know what you think about this chapter and the story so far. Thanks for all your support!<strong>


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